WHO updates foodborne disease manuals

The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated documents relating to the surveillance of and response to foodborne diseases.

WHO said timely detection and effective response are essential to protect public health and prevent local events from escalating into international emergencies.

The revised guides cover building, assessing and strengthening national foodborne disease surveillance and response systems. They can support countries at different stages of development, from establishing surveillance functions to integrated surveillance across the food chain. Such data can be used to inform timely risk assessment, response and prevention activities.

“Addressing foodborne diseases is critical for protecting public health, and these updated manuals provide guidance to countries to strengthen core capacities for foodborne disease surveillance and response required under the International Health Regulations and aligned with the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety,” said Yahya Kandeh, Technical Officer for Food Safety and co-chair of the working group on foodborne disease surveillance integration at the WHO Alliance for Food Safety.

Improving surveillance and response
The stage one manual has two parts – using surveillance to detect incidents and investigating outbreaks. The stage two document focuses on improving indicator-based surveillance and the stage three guide covers integrating surveillance data to better understand risks in the food supply chain.

Each manual includes tools that national authorities can use to assess current capacities, identify gaps, and plan priority actions. They describe how to integrate laboratory data, environmental assessments, food chain information, and public health investigations.

The manuals were first published in 2017. The updated editions place greater emphasis on data use and the link between foodborne disease surveillance and food contamination monitoring. They also reflect emerging priorities, including the influence of climate and environmental factors on foodborne risks and the need for adaptable surveillance systems that can respond to changing contexts.

The hope is that nations will become better equipped to detect unusual patterns, assess emerging hazards, confirm contamination sources, and share findings rapidly with the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN).

Dr. Intisar Salim Al-Gharibi, director, risk assessment and food crisis management at the Food Safety and Quality Centre in Oman, said the manuals reflect the shared expertise of members of the WHO Alliance for Food Safety and partners.

“They provide countries with practical guidance to strengthen foodborne disease surveillance and response, support integrated approaches across the food chain, and translate data into timely action to better protect public health,” said Al-Gharibi, the other co-chair of the foodborne disease surveillance integration working group.