Fourteen foodborne parasites still drive 171 million illnesses worldwide, analysis finds
Recent Cyclospora outbreaks have renewed public attention to foodborne parasites, but they also highlight a broader reality: These diseases continue to affect millions of people around the world and remain a significant global public health challenge.
A new World Health Organization (WHO) analysis estimates that approximately 171 million illnesses worldwide are attributable to foodborne transmission of invasive parasites, according to a report by Medical Xpress. The study, which includes contributions from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences professor Dr. Christine Budke, updates global estimates for 14 foodborne parasitic diseases.
Although progress has been made in decreasing their prevalence over the past decade, these illnesses continue to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations around the world. The WHO periodically updates these estimates to help governments and public health organizations understand which diseases have the greatest health and socioeconomic impacts, allowing them to allocate resources more effectively.
Dr. Budke, who specializes in zoonotic tapeworm diseases, worked with researchers at the University of Montreal to update estimates for neurocysticercosis, a disease caused by the larval stage of the pork tapeworm that can infect the brain and is a leading cause of epilepsy in many parts of the world. The updated analysis incorporates more than a decade of additional research and new information about how these diseases affect patients, providing a more complete picture of their impact on populations.
Brief written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
