ANALYTICAL REVIEW ON FOOD BORN INFECTIOUS DISEASES: STATEMENT AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Abstract

Foodborneinfectiousdiseases are of greatconcern in Central Africa and pose a significantthreat to public health. The main objective of thisstudyis to present the inventory of the sub-regionalfoodsituationspecifically, to highlight the foodorigin of infectiousdiseases and existing surveillance actions. It isbased on documentation focused on the relevance of articles and official databases. About a hundredscientific articles published in indexedjournals and/or with an international impact factor wereused. The results show thatfoodborneinfectiousdiseases are mainlycaused by parasites such as Salmonella sp., Campylobacter sp., Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio non-cholerae and Shigella, etc. dietary habits, poorhygiene practices duringprocessing, cross-border foodtrade conditions and climatic variations are the main factorsthatincrease the risk of thesediseases. Morethan 70% of foodsold in public places in the Central Africansub-region via the informalsectoriscontaminatedmainly by Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli and even Vibrio cholerae. Another important source of food contamination remainsanimals (conventionallyfarmed or wild). Indeed, the risk of infection for humans via foodzoonoticsremains a constant reality in Central Africa. Unfortunately, the surveillance systems are less efficient. Mandatoryreporting and the strengthening of National Reference Centers and Laboratories can help member countries in Central Africathrough joint action groups to betterdevelop a surveillance and response plan.