{ "abstract": "BACKGROUND: Over 10 years ago, WHO estimates of hazard-specific foodborne disease burdens showed that parasites exert considerable health burdens globally. We updated these estimates, focusing on 14 invasive parasitic diseases. METHODS: Incidences, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) burdens were estimated for each parasitic disease from 2000 to 2021, using data from systematic reviews and the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study. For some diseases, structured expert judgement was used to estimate proportions of foodborne infection. Data were pooled via hierarchical meta-regression models with uncertainty propagated through Monte Carlo simulations following disease-specific computational models defined by incidence rates and probability parameters. FINDINGS: We estimated that 277 million illnesses were caused by potentially foodborne invasive parasites, with approximately 171 million attributable to foodborne transmission. Considerable heterogeneity by parasite, in magnitude and uncertainty, was observed. Of 4·89 million foodborne DALYs associated with these diseases, highest contributions were from Taenia solium (1·3 million) and Clonorchis sinensis (0·921 million), both also associated with most foodborne deaths. Burden was greatest in the region of the Americas, predominantly due to Chagas disease, followed by the African region, where neurocysticercosis-associated epilepsy caused most burden. Burdens decreased globally from 2000 to 2021, except in the Western Pacific region, where the burden, predominantly associated with clonorchiasis, is rising. INTERPRETATION: Foodborne parasitoses cause considerable suffering, with some populations and regions particularly at risk. These data provide a baseline by which effects of interventions can be assessed and emphasis directed to those parasites exerting the greatest burden. FUNDING: WHO.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Parasitology Unit, Department of Paraclinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway. Electronic address: lucy.robertson@nmbu.no", "Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland", "Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Translational Physiology, Infectiology and Public health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium", "Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium", "Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa", "Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand", "National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark", "School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada", "Institute of Public Health and Forensic Science, Christchurch, New Zealand", "Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands", "Department of Epidemiology and Health Economics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands; Center for Complex Systems Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands; Interdisciplinary Center for the Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Disease Dynamics, University of Münster, Germany", "Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Center for Infectious Disease Control, Bilthoven, Netherlands; Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht, Netherlands", "Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran", "Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, USA", "Department of Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC, Australia; Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland", "Section of Veterinary Epidemiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland" ], "article_type": null, "arxiv": null, "author_total": 20, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Lucy Jane Robertson", "orcid": "0000-0001-5186-4421" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Yuki Minato", "orcid": "0000-0003-1246-901X" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Brecht Devleesschauwer", "orcid": "0000-0002-2867-6892" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Carlotta Di Bari", "orcid": "0000-0003-4061-0818" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Louise Vaes", "orcid": "0009-0002-6829-866X" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Karen Helena Keddy", "orcid": "0000-0001-8640-2235" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Banchob Sripa", "orcid": "0000-0001-8899-5919" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Kim Fernandez", "orcid": "0009-0004-3444-9946" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Sara Monteiro Pires", "orcid": "0000-0002-7751-1509" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Shannon Elizabeth Majowicz", "orcid": "0000-0002-0006-8369" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Robin Lake", "orcid": "0000-0002-0049-3218" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Charlee Law", "orcid": "0000-0002-3015-0507" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Gabriela F. Nane", "orcid": "0000-0002-3614-1820" }, { "affs": [ 10 ], "name": "Mirjam Kretzschmar", "orcid": "0000-0002-4394-7697" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Lapo Mughini‐Gras", "orcid": "0000-0001-5420-949X" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Ali Rostami", "orcid": "0000-0002-1358-1321" }, { "name": "Hélène Carabin", "orcid": "0000-0002-2822-4730" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Christine M. Budke", "orcid": "0000-0002-4750-0905" }, { "affs": [ 14 ], "name": "Meritxell Donadeu", "orcid": "0000-0002-2444-914X" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Paul Robert Torgerson", "orcid": "0000-0003-4277-9983" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2mfn4ynwm3g99.bib", "cited_by": 6, "doi": "10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103982", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "2mfn4ynwm3g99", "issns": [ "2214-109X", "2572-116X" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103982", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "2405|Parasitic infections in humans and animals" ] ], "openalex": "W7164843221", "pdf_url": null, "pmcid": null, "pmid": "42302806", "published": "2026-06-16", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2mfn4ynwm3g99.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-06T13:20:33Z", "native_id": "W7164843221", "source": "openalex", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103982" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "openalex:2405|Parasitic infections in humans and animals", "subfield": "microbiology" } ], "title": "WHO estimates of the global, regional, and national foodborne burdens of 14 invasive parasitic diseases, 2000–21: an updated data synthesis", "title_text": "WHO estimates of the global, regional, and national foodborne burdens of 14 invasive parasitic diseases, 2000–21: an updated data synthesis", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-08T13:20:46Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2mfn4ynwm3g99", "venue": "The Lancet Global Health", "versions": [] }