Two districts to be included in food-borne infections network

As a step towards increasing the capacity to detect, control and prevent food-borne and other infectious diseases, a proposal will be sent to the Centre by the State to include Mysore and Chitradurga under the Global Food-borne Infections Network (GFN).

They will be included in the World Health Organisation (WHO) programme on a pilot basis.

Apart from Karnataka, two districts of Gujarat will also send proposals to be included in the programme.

The districts have been selected based on the facilities available to detect and identify microbes causing food poisoning and related diseases, said Mysore district surveillance officer Dr D G Nagaraj.

A team of three doctors from the district, including the district surveillance officer, had recently undergone training at a private hospital in Manipal, Udupi district. Health department officials from Chitradurga and districts of Gujarat had also participated in the training camp.

The proposal when approved will enhance the laboratory facilities and staff to conduct studies on the causative organisms responsible for food-borne infections. WHO is entrusted with the responsibility of training the necessary staff from various districts under the programme, if it is given a go-ahead by the Centre.

Food poisoning

“Different strains of bacteria and other micro-organisms are responsible for different cases of food poisoning. Some bacteria cause food poisoning only among children, while some target only women. If the proposal is approved, we will have the necessary facilities to identify microbes and their characteristics that cause infections,” he said.

It will help in developing effective anti-biotics against such infections.
Noting that food infection can occur at any stage — from farmer produce to consumer use — he said the programme will scrutinise and identify the stages of food production where there are chances of microbes contaminating the food products.

Network

GFN is a network of institutions and individuals working towards the detection and prevention of food-borne and other enteric infections. The network is involved in laboratory-based surveillance and conducts training courses and activities around the world, according to the WHO website.

Nagaraj said the programme was still in the initial stages. “However, we are expecting the Centre to come up with an action plan by July or August,” he added.