Tainted food surprisingly deadly in adults worldwide

Recent data released from the World Health Organization shows food-borne diseases are far more deadly than previously estimated, according to Reuters. The research faults unsafe food for 1.2 million deaths per year in people over the age of five in Southeast Asia and Africa. Older children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to severe illness from major food- and water-borne diseases such as salmonella, listeria, E. coli, Hepatitis A and cholera. Food safety experts are now seeking to measure the burden of such afflictions in people over the age of five in the Arab world, Latin America and elsewhere in Asia including China. The globalization of the food supply and the rise of modern food production methods have led to the rise of food-borne illnesses worldwide, but many poor areas lack the ability to quickly treat ailments when they arise leading to deaths.