Brazzaville, 6 June 2005 -- An Expert Group on aflatoxins and health recommended at its just-concluded consultation in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, that concrete measures must be taken to control aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi which contaminate stored crops affected by heat, humidity and the activities of insects and rodents. Aflatoxins continue to constitute a major health hazard in Africa.

The toxic substances are found in improperly stored foods such as maize, wheat, nuts, peanut butter and dried fruits. They are known to be causative factors in child stunting, child mortality, immune suppression and child neurological impairment. In addition, they lead to household food insecurity. Aflatoxin has a synergistic effect with the hepatitis B virus in the etiology of liver cancer and could interact with HIV/AIDS. Exposure to high levels of aflatoxins causes acute aflatoxicosis, which is often under-recognized and under-reported as a cause of liver damage.

Participants at the meeting reviewed and discussed 12 scientific papers on the health and nutrition impacts of aflatoxins and other mycotoxins (toxic substances produced by fungi) and agreed that these substances impacted negatively on livelihoods, particularly of poor people who had limited freedom of choice regarding food s or diet. 

There was also consensus that the menace of aflatoxins was a health problem rooted in the entire food chain, thus requiring a multidisciplinary approach for analysis, action and solution.

In its recommendations, the Expert Group called on WHO to engage national governments to recognize exposure to aflatoxins as a major public health issue; incorporate prevention and control of exposure to aflatoxins in health, agricultural and social development policies; provide technical advice to establish early warning systems for acute occurrence of the condition; incorporate surveillance for the condition in WHO Foodborne Disease Surveillance and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Systems and facilitate greater interaction with UN and other agencies for prevention and improved management of outbreaks. It also called on WHO to strengthen health laboratories to include aflatoxin capacity, and reflect aflatoxin concerns in guidelines for Integrated Management of Childhood Illness and Integrated Management of Adult Diseases, as well as diets for pregnant and lactating women, infants and young children.

In addition to causing premature deaths in Africa, aflatoxins exert enormous economic toll in the Region. A World Bank study recently cited by UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, revealed that the European Union regulation on aflatoxins costs Africa US$ 750 million each year in exports of cereals, dried fruit and nuts.

The findings of the Expert Group will be discussed at the global meeting on aflatoxins in Geneva, Switzerland, in July and the FAO/WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe, in October.

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