Abstract
BackgroundThe highest burden of food-borne diseases is in Africa. Despite this, food safety does not seem to be a major concern in many African countries. There is also a lack of concern within rural areas of South Africa.AimThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of food-borne diseases in rural areas in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, by comparing data obtained from a cross-sectional survey and clinic records.SettingThe study was conducted in Ncera, Mpongo and Needscamp villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.MethodsIn the first phase of the study, a random sample of household heads (n = 87) were interviewed to determine the prevalence of food-borne diseases between 2012 and 2014. In the second phase, registers from clinics serving the villages were screened for food-borne disease cases during the same time period.ResultsA total of 109 (27.3%) household members fell ill because of food-borne diseases. Half (n = 56; 51.3%) of the respondents who fell ill because of food-borne diseases did not seek medical treatment for their illness. Of those who sought treatment, 19 (46%) attended primary health care clinics. However, examination of the clinic registers showed only four recorded cases of food-borne diseases.ConclusionThe prevalence of food-borne diseases in rural villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, was reported as high but the records in clinic registers are low, indicating a gap in the health care system. Monitoring of these diseases needs to improve.
Highlights
One out of 10 people fall ill after consumption of contaminated food, with the highest burden occurring in Africa, followed by Southeast Asia, whereas in Europe, the lowest burden of food-borne diseases is reported.[1]
Food safety does not seem to be a major concern within many countries in this continent
In South Africa, Korsten[12] states that there is no adequate capacity to forecast and track food-borne diseases even though there have been many outbreaks of food-borne diseases, across different provinces, among school children.[13,14,15]. This indicates the necessity for a good surveillance system, which could monitor the outbreak of a food-borne disease and prevent it from spreading.[16]
Summary
One out of 10 people fall ill after consumption of contaminated food, with the highest burden occurring in Africa, followed by Southeast Asia, whereas in Europe, the lowest burden of food-borne diseases is reported.[1] The prevalence of food-borne diseases varies vastly in different countries.[2,3,4,5,6]. In Africa, it is estimated that 92 million people fall ill from consuming contaminated foods, resulting in 137 000 deaths each year.[1,7] Yet, food safety does not seem to be a major concern within many countries in this continent. The highest burden of food-borne diseases is in Africa. There is a lack of concern within rural areas of South Africa
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