WHO estimates of the global, regional, and national foodborne burdens of 14 invasive parasitic diseases, 2000–21: an updated data synthesis

@article{robertson2026estimates,
  title = {{WHO estimates of the global, regional, and national foodborne burdens of 14 invasive parasitic diseases, 2000–21: an updated data synthesis}},
  author = {Lucy Jane Robertson and Yuki Minato and Brecht Devleesschauwer and Carlotta Di Bari and Louise Vaes and Karen Helena Keddy and Banchob Sripa and Kim Fernandez and Sara Monteiro Pires and Shannon Elizabeth Majowicz and Robin Lake and Charlee Law and Gabriela F. Nane and Mirjam Kretzschmar and Lapo Mughini‐Gras and Ali Rostami and Hélène Carabin and Christine M. Budke and Meritxell Donadeu and Paul Robert Torgerson},
  journal = {The Lancet Global Health},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103982},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103982},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - WHO estimates of the global, regional, and national foodborne burdens of 14 invasive parasitic diseases, 2000–21: an updated data synthesis
AU  - Lucy Jane Robertson
AU  - Yuki Minato
AU  - Brecht Devleesschauwer
AU  - Carlotta Di Bari
AU  - Louise Vaes
AU  - Karen Helena Keddy
AU  - Banchob Sripa
AU  - Kim Fernandez
AU  - Sara Monteiro Pires
AU  - Shannon Elizabeth Majowicz
AU  - Robin Lake
AU  - Charlee Law
AU  - Gabriela F. Nane
AU  - Mirjam Kretzschmar
AU  - Lapo Mughini‐Gras
AU  - Ali Rostami
AU  - Hélène Carabin
AU  - Christine M. Budke
AU  - Meritxell Donadeu
AU  - Paul Robert Torgerson
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/16
JO  - The Lancet Global Health
DO  - 10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103982
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103982
AB  - 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.
SN  - 2214-109X
SN  - 2572-116X
ER  -