Date Published: 1 April 2008

New safefood study highlights the economic impact of gastroenteritis (safefood, Eire)

safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board - in the Irish language, An Bord um Chur Chun Cinn Sabháilteachta Bia - is an implementation body. Food safety policies are underpinned by comprehensive access to current, accurate, high quality scientific information, and to adequate means for the analysis and interpretation of such data.

Burden of gastroenteritis on the island of Ireland estimated at over ?135 million.

A new safefood study ? The Economic Impact of Gastroenteritis on the Island of Ireland has revealed the total burden of gastroenteritis on the economy for the island of Ireland is estimated at over ?135 million per annum.

The report commissioned by safefood and carried out by Trinity College Dublin and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was launched today at a conference in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

?? This report highlights the substantial economic burden of gastroenteritis on the island of Ireland. Although the costs associated with work make up a large part of the economic burden, a significant proportion falls on patients and their families. The average annual cost to individuals and their families represent about 20% of the overall burden to the economy or ?24.20 per person. 40% to 50% of the economic burden is associated with the cost of missing work and 20% is associated with health system costs,”Dr Thomas Quigley, Director, Food Science, safefood commented. ?This economic assessment enables us to understand the financial impact of the disease on the economy, which will help determine the measures necessary to reduce the number of cases,”Dr Quigley continued.

Professor Charles Normand, Trinity College Dublin said ?Although gastroenteritis is a commonly known illness, it has hidden costs and an economic impact which is often not considered. The estimate of ?135 million as the burden on the economy is conservative and in reality, the actual economic burden is likely to be even higher.?

“Gastroenteritis is a common, but generally preventable illness of the digestive system. It is usually caused by germs and symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and nausea. The main treatment for gastroenteritis is fluid replacement and attention to hygiene to prevent the spread of the illness to others. However, medical attention should be sought if symptoms persist and for vulnerable groups such as infants.
safefood advises that by implementing simple measures like proper hand washing and following the correct food safety rules for the preparation and handling of food, the incidence of gastroenteritis can be reduced,”Dr Quigley continued.

Approximately 10% of people on the island of Ireland report suffering symptoms of gastroenteritis each year. These figures are in line with estimated rates from other similar European Union studies. However, it is thought that gastroenteritis is underreported because in many cases patients can manage the illness themselves without going to their doctor. Between 20% and 40% of gastroenteritis is reported amongst children aged one to four years of age and almost 2% of children on the island of Ireland are hospitalised each year due to gastroenteritis.

A full report on the research is available from safeFood's website (www.safefoodonline.com).

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. The views stated in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by safeFood (Ireland) on 1 April 2008 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please visit their website using the link below.