Viruses and Food

Foodborne and waterborne viruses are currently acknowledged to be the source of a major public health issue in many parts of the world. These viruses are directly transmitted into the gastrointestinal tract via food and water and can induce gastroentiritis or hepatitis. This problem is referred to as emerging and requires that particular attention should be paid to informing the authorities, consumers and professional sectors about high-risk foodstuffs and the working methods concerned. As this has implications for public health, it has been thought useful and advisable that the Superior Health Council (SHC) should draw up a synthetic assessment of the situation at the national level and issue recommendations on this subject, taking into account current developments within other national and international scientific bodies. An ad hoc working group of the SHC (which included experts in food microbiology and virology) has reviewed the information that is currently available on the risks for humans involved in consuming foodstuffs contaminated by viruses, the purpose being to issue recommendations aimed at improving foodborne virus infection control. The SHC working group “foodstuff microbiology” then issued comments on the final version of this text, which it subsequently approved. This document provides a brief survey of the main concepts that are discussed in the scientific report in the annex. It provides an overview of the following general aspects: the characteristics of the main foodborne viruses (and the questions that they may raise with the competent authorities) and the appropriate way to control outbreaks (i.e. how to behave in the event of an epidemic, at least from the viewpoint of foodborne transmission). The information collected is based on the recent scientific literature

Prevention of contamination microbial and parasitic food by carriers or ill operators

The Superior Health Council has published an information brochure to the attention of physicians work, treating physicians and the consulting doctors about the medical report on the hygiene of foodstuffs

Advice of the Scientific Committee of the FASFC and of the Superior Health Council on the reformulation of food – salt reduction

A high sodium intake is associated with several health risks including high blood pressure with various clinical consequences, such as certain cardiovascular diseases. It has also been shown that a decrease of blood pressure is associated with health benefits. Salt (NaCl, "kitchen salt") is the main source of sodium in foods and salt reduction actually means sodium reduction. In several European countries, but also outside Europe, various salt reduction campaigns were launched. In Belgium, a campaign was developed as part of the National Food and Health Plan that included amongst others a raise of consumer awareness and a covenant with the food industry and food distributors to reduce the salt content of food products. When reducing salt (sodium) economic, technological as well as subjective factors (e.g. taste) play a role. This advice considers the most important aspects of sodium reduction primarily at the level of food safety and public healt

Recommended indications for the administration of polyclonal immunoglobulin preparations

The following recommendations, which aim at standardising and rationalising the clinical indications for administering polyclonal immunoglobulins in Belgium, were drawn up by a working group of the Superior Health Council. To this end, the Superior Health Council organised an expert meeting devoted to"Guidelines for the use of immunoglobulins". The experts discussed the indications for immunoglobulin use, the'ideal'immunoglobulin preparation, its mechanisms of action, the practical issues involved in administering immunoglobulins and their potential side effects. The recommendations formulated by the experts were validated by the Superior Health Council working group with the purpose of harmonising immunoglobulin use in Belgiu

Development of an LC-MS/MS analytical method for the simultaneous measurement of aldehydes from polyunsaturated fatty acids degradation in animal feed

Knowing that polyunsaturated fatty acids can lead to the formation of potentially toxic aldehydes as secondary oxidation products, an analytical method using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS) has been developed to evaluate the concentration of eight aldehydes in animal feed: malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (4-HHE), crotonaldehyde (CRT), benzaldehyde (BNZ), hexanal (HXL), 2,4-nonadienal and 2,4-decadienal. The developed method has been validated according to the criteria and procedure described in international standards. The evaluated parameters were: specificity/selectivity, recovery, precision, accuracy, uncertainty, limits of detection and quantification, using the concept of accuracy profiles. These parameters have been determined during experiments realized on 3 different days with grounded Kellogg’s® Corn Flakes® cereals as model matrix for animal feed and spiked at different levels of concentration. Malondialdehyde, 4-HHE, 4-HNE, crotonaldehyde, benzaldehyde and hexanal can be analysed in the same run in animal feed with a very good accuracy, with recovery rates ranging from 86 to 109% for a working range going from 0.16 to 12.50 mg/kg. Concerning 2,4-nonadienal and 2,4-decadienal, their analysis can be realized as well but in a limited range of concentration and with a limited accuracy. Indeed, recovery rates ranged between 54 and 114% and coefficient of variation for the intermediate precision between 11 and 25% for these two compounds

Recommendations in the event of a suspected transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI).

The following recommendations, which aim at improving the clinical diagnosis ofTRALI and the laboratory investigations that can support it, were drawn up by a working group of the Superior Health Council. TRALI is a complication of blood transfusion that is both serious and underreported. Systematic reporting may help to develop preventive actions. Therefore, the Superior Health Council recommends that there should be a more stringent surveillance of patients who receive a blood component transfusion. The clinician should pay very close attention to any change in the patient's respiratory status (cf. dyspnoea and arterial desaturation), which should be notified systematically to the haemovigilance contact person in the hospital.Journal ArticlePractice GuidelineSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe