Crucial PulseNet meeting on food precaution starts today

24 April 2010
MUSCAT: Increasing international trade has enabled food produced in one country to be consumed in different parts of the world, and cause diseases too, if contaminated with a food-borne pathogen.

Therefore, a disease contracted in one part of the world may first become apparent thousands of miles away, and that's where PulseNet which is a network of national and regional laboratory networks dedicated to tracking food-borne infections worldwide plays a vital role in the surveillance and investigation of food-borne illness outbreaks that were previously difficult to detect. Therefore, to discuss the vital issue, PulseNet meeting is being held in the city today and tomorrow.

Through PulseNet, scientists may link cases associated with the same outbreak even if the affected individuals are geographically distant. Outbreaks, along with their sources, can now be identified in a matter of days rather than weeks through utilising standardised laboratory methods and sharing information in real-time. The resulting surveillance provides early warning of food and waterborne disease outbreaks, emerging pathogens, and acts of deliberate release of micro-organisms to food. Thus, PulseNet facilitates early identification of a single or common source of the outbreak and acts as an efficient means of communication between public health laboratories.

All these benefits were the main inspiration behind the establishment of the PulseNet Middle East in December 2006, at WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) in Cairo, Egypt with the aim to support the Food Safety regional plan.

Presently, the network includes public health laboratories and academic and medical institutions from 10 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region: Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

© Times of Oman 2010

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