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Foodborne Diseases in the
Global Community1
Elaine Scallan,*
Paul Berger,† and Dale Morse‡
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; †Environmental
Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., USA; and ‡New York State Department
of Health, Albany, New York, USA
Suggested
citation for this article
Globalization of the food industry and rise in air travel has presented
new challenges for food safety and has increased the need for global surveillance
of foodborne disease.
Established in 2000, WHO Global Salm-Surv has strengthened surveillance
capabilities in participating countries by acting as a resource for training
and expertise in foodborne disease surveillance and response. Regional
training courses and other activities—including an external quality assurance
system, reference services, and electronic discussions—aim to improve
collaboration among microbiologists and epidemiologists and foster collaboration
across sectors. Other World Health Organization activities include regional-specific
projects and establishment of sentinel sites with the purpose of estimating
the impact of foodborne disease. Policies and guidelines have been developed
on the containment of antimicrobial resistance, the investigation and
control of foodborne outbreaks, and response to urgent issues. Establishing
networks within and between countries and with other networks is considered
essential in improving surveillance and food safety throughout the world.
PulseNet is an early warning system for outbreaks of foodborne disease.
First established as a national network in the United States in 1996,
this network of public health laboratories performs a standardized DNA
"fingerprinting" method called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
on foodborne bacteria. PulseNet identifies and labels each fingerprint
pattern and permits rapid comparison of these patterns through an electronic
database to identify related strains across a wide geographic area. PulseNet
Asia Pacific began in 2002 with a planning meeting involving 12 countries
or areas from the region. In 2004, while challenges remain, improvements
continue on a routine basis, as the network strives to enhance human health
and improve the safety of foods within the Asia Pacific region.
The goals of the Australian government initiative (OzFoodNet) are to
determine the impact and cause of foodborne diseases, provide foodborne
disease data for risk assessments and policy, and train people to investigate
foodborne illness. OzFoodNet, FoodNet in the United States, and groups
in Canada and Ireland have been collaborating on international projects.
These international partnerships are vital for improving and standardizing
methodologic approaches and gaining a better understanding of the global
impact of foodborne disease. International partnerships are also important
when investigating international outbreaks. Outbreaks involving multiple
countries are becoming more common with the ever-increasing global movement
of food and people; improved surveillance can detect outbreaks even if
they are dispersed over a broad area. International collaboration can
lead to more effective outbreak control and to global improvements in
food safety.
1Presented at the International Conference
on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, February 29 –
March 3, 2004, by Andrea Ellis, World Health Organization; Kai Man Kam,
Hong Kong Public Health Laboratory Centre; and Martyn Kirk, Canberra (Australia)
Department of Health and Aging.
Suggested citation
for this article:
Scallan E, Berger P,
Morse D. Foodborne diseases in the global community. Emerg Infect Dis
[serial on the Internet]. 2004 Nov [date cited]. Available from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no11/04-0797_11.htm
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