Johannesburg, 3 September -- Food-borne illness presents a major and continuing challenge to Africa as it adversely affects health, lowers economic productivity, and in several cases results in death and disability. 
This is contained in a report presented Monday by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim M. Samba, to the 53rd session of WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place from 1 to 5 September in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dr Samba states in the report that the high prevalence of diarrhoeal diseases in the Region was suggestive of major food safety problems. He says, for example, that in 2002, 171,359 cases of cholera were officially notified in the Region, 46% more than were notified the previous year. He adds that some acute illnesses presumed to be directly associated with food include Ebola, of which 1,500 cases were recently documented in the Region, with slightly over 1,000 deaths.

The food chain remains contaminated because of the use of banned substances such as DDT ( dichlorodiphenytrichloroethane) in agriculture, the existence of some naturally occurring toxins such as cyanogens and aflatoxins (high levels of the later were recently found in groundnuts and cereal grains in some countries in the Region); and the use of food additives such as synthetic colours used to mask quality deterioration or even deliberate adulteration.

Sections of the report dwell on street foods - a means of employment for many African women, and a source of affordable sustenance for large numbers of the urban poor.

"Street vending is both beneficial and risky", the report says, but adds: "Street vendors are often poor, uneducated and ill-informed; they lack knowledge of basic food handing, and the rapid unregulated growth of street foods has exacerbated congestion and littering in cities.

"Well-structured national food safety programmes that are responsive to present and future needs and challenges in food safety should be of high priority to all governments; such programmes should include promotion and integration of preventive and scientific risk-based approaches to food safety systems." It also recommends that countries should establish coordinated enforceable food safety policies and regulations and establish or reinforce participation in activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission - a joint body of WHO and the Food and Agricultural Organization. The Commission is the world's highest body on food standards.

For further information, please contact

Samuel T. Ajibola
Public Information and Communication Unit 
World Health Organization - Regional Office for Africa 
P.O. Box 6, Brazzaville, Congo. 
E-mail: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int (ajibolas[at]afro[dot]who[dot]int)
 Tel:+ 47 241 39378; Fax: + 47 241 39513
In Johannesburg: 072 722 5680