It’s wrong to say that food poisoning is not as big of a concern as cancer, heart disease, or any other health condition. In Australia, for instance, it’s a standard medical issue: an estimated 4.1 million Australians get afflicted by food-borne illnesses each year. That’s about 11,500 people coming down with food-borne illnesses daily. And throughout the world, it’s largely the same thing.

1. Tracking Food
Poisoning Around
the World
Australian Institute of Accreditation

2. It’s wrong to say that food poisoning is not as big of a concern as cancer, heart disease, or
any other health condition. In Australia, for instance, it’s a standard medical issue: an
estimated 4.1 million Australians get afflicted by food-borne illnesses each year. That’s
about 11,500 people coming down with food-borne illnesses daily. And throughout the
world, it’s largely the same thing.
Crunching Numbers
Around the world, only a particular collection of known pathogens is responsible for about
14 million illnesses. That equates to roughly 60,000 people getting hospitalised and 1,800
people dying. As for the still unknown foodborne pathogens, about 62 million illnesses,
265,000 confinements, and 3,200 fatalities can be attributed.
Salmonella, Clostridium perfringes, norovirus, and campylobacter are among the most
common pathogens involved. There is also toxoplasma, listeria, and E.coli - the latter three
being responsible for a significant number of severe cases and even death. Altogether, the
World Health Organisation puts the biggest possible estimate at 600 million people (1 in 10
individuals) falling ill due to contaminated food yearly.

3. Who Is at Risk?
Estimates released by the WHO last 2015 present some concerning trends. According to
their data, almost 30 percent of deaths from food-borne illnesses affected children younger
than 5 years old. This is despite the children comprising only 9 percent of the worldwide
population. At best, the estimated yearly death toll stands at 125,000 individuals.
Dr. Kazuaki Miyagishima of the WHO Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses reinforces
the credibility of the above claims. He states that the estimates are from a decade of work,
with input from over 100 experts globally. With the extent of the issues, Dr. Miyagishima is
adamant to say that the world is experiencing the brunt of food poisoning, making it a
legitimate health threat.
What the World Is Doing
Only a qualified physician is skilled enough to provide an adequate and appropriate
diagnosis. It’s due to food-borne disease symptoms being ‘too common,’ and thus prone to
being ignored. Symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, cramps, fatigue, and fever can be
easily attributed to other conditions. And while treatment isn’t as hard to administer,
prevention is still the best method, which starts with food preparation.

4. Sources:
http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/fp/food-poisoning
http://www.australianfoodsafety.com.au/blog/food-poisoning-statistics/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2015/04/07/world-health-day-2015-food-safety-
tips/#30b097587deb
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/food-poisoning-
kills-420000-people-a-year-worldwide-says-who-report-a6759596.html
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/foodborne-disease-estimates/en/
https://www.aia.edu.au/