How to protect yourself from food-borne diseases
According to Hassan Mayanja, a physician at Mercy Hospital, food-borne diseases are common and contribute to a sizeable number of patients in both developing and developed countries.
According to findings from a study on food-borne diseases, 14% of all diseases treated each year in Uganda are due to food-borne-related illnesses. (Photo by Umar Nsubuga)
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) says unsafe food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites and harmful chemicals can cause more than 200 different diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancer.
WHO estimates that diarrhoeal diseases alone kill about 1.5 million children globally every year, and most of these illnesses are attributed to contaminated food or drinking water.
According to Hassan Mayanja, a physician at Mercy Hospital, food-borne diseases are common and contribute to a sizeable number of patients in both developing and developed countries.
He adds: “Food-borne diseases have a higher impact on vulnerable people, such as infants, pregnant women, the sick and the elderly, among whom they can even cause death. This is because such people usually have low immunity to diseases.”
According to findings from a study on food-borne diseases, 14% of all diseases treated each year in Uganda are due to food-borne-related illnesses.
Ministry of Health data indicates that Uganda registers about 1.3 million cases of food-borne illnesses annually, representing approximately 14% of all diseases treated in health facilities. These include cholera, dysentery, intestinal worms, typhoid and Hepatitis E.
Causes
Mayanja explains that food-borne diseases can be caused by bacteria, for example cholera and typhoid, as well as viruses such as hepatitis A, polio and rotaviral diarrhoea.
According to the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa, 13 countries in the African Region were reporting active cholera outbreaks as of February 2026. Between January 1 and February 15, 2026, five Southern African countries reported 4,320 cholera cases and 56 deaths, while 13 countries across the region continued to report outbreaks.
“Food-borne diseases may also be caused by parasites, worms, fungi and toxins. The toxins may either be formed in food before consumption or produced by pathogenic bacteria in the digestive tract after eating contaminated food or using contaminated utensils or hands.”
Mayanja explains that sometimes bacteria invade the intestinal walls and spread to other body organs, causing bacteraemia, the presence of bacteria in the blood.
“Contaminated food can also cause long-term health problems. For example, food contaminated with heavy metals or naturally occurring toxins can cause cancer and neurological disorders.”
“Similarly, the accumulation of invisible germs on one's hands is a common source of transmission that is often overlooked.”
Management
Mayanja says management of food-borne diseases requires addressing the cause. However, several viral illnesses, such as rotaviral diarrhoea, are self-limiting and may only require supportive treatment.
He also advises people to deworm regularly to eliminate worms from their bodies.
Prevention
Experts say washing hands with clean water and soap is one of the most effective ways of preventing food-borne diseases.
WHO advises that people should wash their hands before and after handling food and after using the toilet.
Dr. Abubakar Sempereza, a general doctor, says one of the most overlooked ways of preventing food-borne diseases is maintaining proper hygiene throughout the entire food chain, from buying food to serving it.
He advises people to avoid cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, fish and poultry separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods and by using different knives and chopping boards where possible.
Other ways of preventing food-borne diseases include.
Proper food preparation, including cooking food thoroughly and eating it while it is still hot and fresh.
Storing food in clean places and preserving it correctly, for example through refrigeration.
Getting vaccinated against diseases such as typhoid, polio, hepatitis A and rotaviral diarrhoea.
Ensuring that food handlers, especially those who prepare cooked food, undergo regular medical screening to determine whether they are fit to handle food.
If a food handler is infected with a virus and continues preparing food, the virus may be passed on to consumers through the food.
Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of food-borne diseases may occur shortly after eating contaminated food or may take days or even weeks to appear.
According to WHO, symptoms of most food-borne illnesses develop within 24 to 72 hours after consuming contaminated food.
These symptoms include stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, body weakness, headache, dehydration, seizures, joint pain and dysuria (painful urination).