Great, Climate Change Will Even Make Food Poisoning Worse
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Climate change will make stomach bugs an even bigger problem, a new report has found. The study concludes that expected changes in temperature, precipitation, and humidity will make foodborne infections and toxins all the more common-at least in Germany. That said, other research has indicated that these increased risks will be seen globally as well.
The research is part of a special series by scientists in Germany looking at the regional health impacts on climate change. It was published earlier this June in the Journal of Health Monitoring. It's a review of the literature and focuses on common foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella, Campylobacter,and Vibrio bacteria, the parasites Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and other toxins produced by marine life.
Across the board, the researchers found evidence that all these infections and toxin poisonings will steadily increase in the years to come due to climate change, though for many varying reasons.
[...] Important as these warnings are, the authors of the current report say that it's well past time to start taking action to mitigate these risks, both on a small and large scale.
Our main recommendations for minimizing the health risk from foodborne infections and intoxications lie in the area of kitchen hygiene, which should always be applied when preparing food," the scientists wrote. This includes thorough handwashing and the use of fresh kitchen utensils after handling raw meat and fish, as well as avoidance of cross-contamination," the authors wrote.
To which they added:We also recommend the use of new technologies to track supply chains. Given a globalized food distribution network and the use of different processing and preservation techniques, it can be difficult to track a product's supply chain to identify potential risks."
Journal Reference:
Dietrich J, Hammerl JA, Johne A, Kappenstein, Loeffler C et al. (2023) Impact of climate change on foodborne infections and intoxications [open]. J Health Monit 8(S3): 78-92. DOI 10.25646/11403
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.