World Food Safety Day on June 7 highlights and draws attention to the importance of preventing, detecting, and managing foodborne disease risks to preserve human health through access to safe and clean food – an area where Egypt faces challenges. Around 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses are reported annually worldwide, and 420,000 people die yearly as a result of consuming contaminated food, with 40 percent of the infected being children under five years old, according to The World Health Organization (WHO). WHO classifies Egypt as having an intermediate to high prevalence of various enteric viruses, which infect the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract and are the main cause of foodborne illnesses and outbreaks. Foodborne illnesses, often caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemicals in contaminated food or water, can range from mild discomfort to severe, life-threatening conditions, posing a major public health threat to both developed and developing countries. The Egyptian population suffers from high rates of infections such as hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), human rotaviruses, noroviruses, astroviruses, and Salmonella, all of which can be transmitted through food. HAV and HEV are the primary viral hepatitis culprits in…
