Every year, nearly one in 10 people around the world fall ill after eating contaminated food, leading to over 420 000 deaths. Children are disproportionately affected, with 125 000 deaths every year in people under 5 years of age. The majority of these cases are caused by diarrhoeal diseases. Other serious consequences of foodborne diseases include kidney and liver failure, brain and neural disorders, reactive arthritis, cancer, and death.

WHO works to assist Member States in building capacity to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks. Foodborne diseases are reflected in several targets of Sustainable Developmental Goal 3 and are a priority area within the Organization’s work. Activities include research and independent scientific assessments of food-related hazards, foodborne disease awareness programs, and helping to promote food safety through national health-care programs.

Over 200 diseases are caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances such as heavy metals. This growing public health problem causes considerable socioeconomic impact though strains on health-care systems lost productivity, and harming tourism and trade. These diseases contribute significantly to the global burden of disease and mortality.

Treatment of foodborne trematodiases is important to prevent progression of clinical disease and reduce associated morbidity. Treatment can be offered through preventive chemotherapy or individual case management.

The public health burden due to foodborne trematodiases is predominantly due to morbidity rather than mortality with early and light infections often going unnoticed. Chronic infections are associated with severe morbidity with symptoms reflecting the organ in which the adult worms are located in.

Foodborne trematodes are a group of diseases that include the parasites Clonorchis, Opisthorchis, Fasciola and Paragonimus. These parasitic flukes have a complex life cycle involving diverse definitive hosts and one or two intermediate hosts. Foodborne trematodes cause infection in humans via the consumption of contaminated food (raw fish, crustaceans or vegetables). Infection can result in severe liver and lung disease and together these diseases are estimated to cause 2 million life years lost to disability and death worldwide every year

Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.  This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.

The work of WHO is aligned with and supports the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The Organization is committed to non-discrimination and to leaving no-one behind. It seeks to ensure that every person, regardless of gender or sex, can live a healthy life.

Generally, the key features of a well-functioning budgeting system typically include:

Generally, the key features of a well-functioning budgeting system typically include:

Promoting Healthier Populations 

 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides a bold and ambitious agenda for the future. WHO is committed to helping the world meet the SDGs by championing health across all the goals. WHO’s core mission is to promote health, alongside keeping the world safe and serving the vulnerable. Beyond fighting disease, we will work to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, leaving no-one behind.

Our target is 1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being by 2023

• Health taxes are imposed on products that have a negative public health impact (e.g. taxes on tobacco, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, fossil fuels). 
• These taxes result in healthier populations and generate revenues for the budget even in the presence  of  illicit trade/evasion.
• These are progressive measures which benefit low-income populations relatively more, once health care costs and health burden are taken into account