Most Prominent Factors of Food Poisoning in Africa: Nigeria Based Perspective

Abstract

Food poisoning, is an acute disease caused by the consumption of contaminated, spoiled or toxic foods as a result of poor hygiene, poor packaging and ignorance of the consumer. The major sources of food poisoning are viruses, bacteria and parasites. Reports show that Asia and the sub-Saharan have the highest case of illness which can be traced back to food poisoning and in Nigeria, about 200,000 cases of Nigerians death was as a result of food poisoning. Other factors that contribute to food poisoning are food allergies, about 4-8% of human beings have food allergies especially in developed countries although the sensitivity levels vary. Microbial contamination which is caused by infectious organisms is also another major factor that contributes to food poisoning. Infectious organisms like rodents deposits pathogens that are toxic to human health into the soil, fruits and water supplies. Pathogens like; Staphylococcus aureus, Toxoplasma spp., Streptobacillus moniliformis, Trichinella spp., Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, and Hantaviruses can be deposited by rodents. This article helps to elucidate the dangers of consuming poisonous foods, factors to look out for in food processing and packaging and the important causes of food poisoning.