WHO Report: Children Under 5 At High Risk of Foodborne Illness; 5 Things to Watch out for

Foodborne illness is caused by eating contaminated food; this is popularly known as food poisoning. These infectious organisms, including bacteria, viruses and parasites or their toxins, are the most common causes of food poisoning.

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 10 people get sick from contaminated food each year and children below 5 years old are at high risk of death from the said disease, Republican American has learned.

"This is sobering news," said Dr. Pritish Tosh, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert. "It puts into perspective how big the problems of clean water and sanitation are around the world."

The key statistics in the new report showed that 600 million people worldwide get sick due to the foodborne disease annually. The same statistics revealed that 420,000 people worldwide die from eating contaminated food each year.

Children under 5 years of age are at high risk for death with 125,000 of casualties per year. Foodborne diseases are highest in Africa and Southeast Asia.

The WHO report suggested that the risk of foodborne diseases is most severe in low and middle-income countries. This condition is associated with a number of factors, including food preparation with unsafe water, poor hygiene and inadequate conditions in food production and storage.

"The issues of sanitation are really quite vast," Tosh added. "The combination of water and food being contaminated with microorganisms, especially pathogens, can cause severe problems."

Tosh suggested that the solution involves improving public health infrastructures and making basic health care accessible to more people in developing countries.

What to eat after food poisoning?

Per Daily Times, a person suffering from foodborne illness should take bananas. Bananas are a good choice for settling an upset digestive system. It is rich in potassium that helps to replace electrolytes that may be lost by severe bouts of diarrhea.

You can also drink green tea because it has the ability to kill the bacteria that is responsible for causing food poisoning. You can drink four to five cups of green tea every day to protect your body against harmful bacteria.

Five things to avoid

1. Dairy Products - Diarrhea may cause lactose intolerance, so better avoid this type of foods.

2. Spicy and fatty food - These types of food can cause total gas problems and most foods of these types are not tolerable under diarrheal circumstance.

3. High-fiber food - Your digestive system is already over-loaded and fiber enriched food will only add burden to it.

4. Alcohol and caffeine - These beverages only aggravate diarrhea.

5. Apple and Pear juices - These juices contain sorbitol, glucose and fructose that may worsen diarrhea.

Do you know any other things to avoid or take when one is inflicted with foodborne disease? Share it in the comment section below.