Given that Ebola is still a problem in some parts of West Africa, it is natural to expect health systems or infectious diseases to be the theme of this year’s World Health Day.
But the World Health Organization chose instead to focus on food safety — for serious reasons.
The U.N. health agency is scheduled to publish by the fourth quarter of this year a final report providing a full picture of the global burden of foodborne diseases. Initial data already suggests that unsafe food is causing more than 200 diseases globally, from diarrhea to cancer. It is killing an estimated 2 million people annually. And, if left unchecked, it could spread like wildfire, threaten global health security, and leave a negative social and economic impact — similar to what Ebola did in West Africa.