The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated documentation on foodborne disease surveillance and response.
Timely detection and effective response are essential to protect public health and prevent local events from escalating into international emergencies, the World Health Organization said.
The revised guides cover building, evaluating and strengthening national foodborne disease surveillance and response systems. It can support countries at different stages of development, from establishing surveillance functions to integrated monitoring across the food chain. These data can be used to guide timely risk assessment, response and prevention activities.
“Tackling foodborne diseases is critical to protecting public health, and these updated guides provide guidance for countries to strengthen essential 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 Integration of Foodborne Illness Surveillance at the WHO Food Safety Alliance.
Improve monitoring and response
The first stage guide consists of two parts – Use surveillance to detect incidents and Investigate the outbreak. The second phase document focuses on: Improving indicator-based monitoring The Phase 3 guide covers integrating monitoring data for better understanding Risks in the food supply chain.
Each guide includes tools that national authorities can use to assess current capacities, identify gaps, and plan priority actions. It describes how to integrate laboratory data, environmental assessments, food chain information, and public health investigations.
The guides were first published in 2017. The updated versions focus more on data use and the linkage between foodborne disease surveillance and food contamination monitoring. They also reflect emerging priorities, including the impact of climate and environmental factors on food-borne risks and the need for adaptable monitoring systems that can respond to changing contexts.
The hope is that countries will be better equipped to detect unusual patterns, assess emerging risks, confirm sources of contamination, and quickly share results with the International Network of Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN).
Dr. Intisar Salem Al-Gharibi, Director of Risk Assessment and Food Crisis Management at the Center for Food Safety and Quality in Amman, said that the evidence reflects the combined experience of members of the WHO Food Safety Alliance and partners.
“It provides 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, other co-chair of the Integrated Foodborne Disease Surveillance Working Group.