Geneva, World Health organization, 2003 (WHO Technical Report Series, No. 916).

This report examines the science base of the relationship between diet and physical activity patterns, and the major nutrition-related chronic diseases. Recommendations are made to help prevent death and disability from major nutrition-related chronic diseases. These population nutrient intake and physical activity goals should contribute in the development of regional strategies and national guidelines to reduce the burden of disease related to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several forms of cancer, osteoporosis and dental disease. The recommendations contained in this report are based on the examination and analysis of the best available evidence and the collective judgement of a group of experts from WHO and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization).

Geneva, World Health Organization, 2004

This review aims to provide an overview of existing international, regional and national regulations and a description of past and future regulatory developments. It compiles, categorizes and tabulates international, regional and national regulations, and compares differing regulatory systems in 74 countries and areas. The document is available free on line at: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241591714.pdf

Geneva, World Health Organization, 2004

Set of 2 complementary publications: 1) Management of the child with a serious infection or severe malnutrition: guidelines for care at the first-referral level in developing countries and 2) Serious childhood problems in countries with limited resources. The first volume provides clinical guidelines and the second volume is aimed at medical, nursing and other healthcare students, and presents a summary of the technical background and the evidence-base underlying the clinical guidelines. For treatment recommendations, the first manual should be consulted. The second volume focuses on the major causes of childhood mortality dealing with disease definition, burden of disease, etiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, and management.

Geneva, World Health Organization, 2002

This manual is primarily aimed at community health and/or nutrition workers. It offers practical information and simple ways to encourage mothers, caregivers, children and families to adopt good nutrition practices for health. Primary and secondary school teachers may also find this book useful for disseminating information on nutrition for better health. The manual is divided into three parts. Part 1 is concerned with nutrition for the family and outlines the nutritional and care needs of the different stages in the life cycle. Part 2 deals with the needs of individuals with nutritional problems. It covers the signs and symptoms, risk factors, prevention and recommended actions for each condition. Part 3 covers food and nutrients. It includes basic nutrition knowledge such as nutrients in food, food properties and micronutrient supplementation. Community health and nutrition workers are encouraged to read this part before using the manual.

Geneva, World Health Organization, 2000

This training manual was produced for use in courses aimed at helping nutritionists and other health professionals understand the basic principles of food safety, the causes of foodborne disease, and opportunities for prevention, whether in food service establishments or homes. Intended to support an eight-day course, the manual can also be used to train food and public health workers, nurses, home economists, and other health professionals. Prepared jointly by WHO and the Industry Council for Development, the manual adopts a practical approach, emphasizing knowledge and skills needed to recognize unsafe food and food-handling practices, understand the implications for health, and develop appropriate intervention strategies.

The manual features 27 lectures presented in 11 modules. Each lecture consists of a series of sheets for overhead projection, accompanied by concise lecture notes. The modular approach allows trainers to adapt the suggested timetable to both local concerns and the background and interests of participants. While the course is primarily aimed at students having a limited knowledge of microbiology, students with more advanced knowledge can benefit from more time spent on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system and related training exercises.

The first module explains the behaviour of microorganisms, their ecology, and modes of contamination and transmission. The major foodborne infectious and toxigenic pathogens are profiled in module two, which includes information on epidemiology, groups at risk, clinical features, foods most commonly implicated, and conditions favourable to growth. Module three describes the significance of foodborne diseases in terms of both the impact of diarrhoea on nutritional status and the broader socioeconomic implications. Hazards associated with chemical contamination are covered in module four.

Subsequent modules consider strategies for prevention. Module five covers factors that affect the survival and growth of microorganisms and the food technologies that can control these factors. The epidemiology and prevention of foodborne disease are addressed in module six, which includes facts and figures illustrating both the magnitude of the problem and the best approaches to prevention. These approaches are further elaborated in modules on food hygiene and application of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system. The remaining modules discuss food safety aspects of biotechnology, and outline a work plan for trainers.

Geneva, World Health Organization, 2000

This is a practical guide to measures needed to ensure that the food and nutrition needs of disaster-stricken populations, refugees, or internally displaced persons are adequately met. Noting that nutrition is always a key concern in emergency management, the book offers expert advice based on both the latest knowledge in the nutritional sciences and advances in concepts of emergency management that stress preparedness and long-term recovery. The engagement of local health services and authorities is emphasized as the best strategy for building national capacity and ensuring rapid recovery.

The book covers the concepts, principles, and precise measures needed to ensure adequate nutrition in both the relief phase and the subsequent rehabilitation and development phases. Details range from a list of the equipment needed for a weight-for-height survey, through a diagram illustrating arrangements for ration distribution in camp situations, to instructions for preparing feeding mixtures for the treatment of specific deficiency diseases. Throughout, particular attention is given to conditions in developing countries, where inadequate nutrition and infectious diseases can make populations especially vulnerable to malnutrition in emergencies.Se:

The book has seven chapters. The first, on meeting nutritional requirements, explains the importance of nutritional assessment as a fundamental management tool for calculating food needs, monitoring the adequacy of food access and intake, and ensuring adequate food procurements. The chapter also sets out recommendations for mean daily per capita intakes of energy and protein and for micronutrients and other specific nutrients.

The major nutritional deficiency diseases are covered in chapter two, which includes detailed information on the signs, symptoms, prevention, and treatment of protein-energy malnutrition, iron-deficiency anaemia, vitamin A deficiency, iodine deficiency disorders, beriberi, pellagra, and scurvy. Chapter three describes the methodology for measuring malnutrition. Information includes target audiences for assessment, advice on body measurements and clinical indicators of malnutrition, and precise instructions for conducting rapid nutritional surveys, individual screening, and nutritional surveillance.

Chapter four provides a detailed guide to the planning, organization, and delivery of general feeding programmes aimed at the affected population as a whole. Topics covered include basic requirements for suitable food commodities, principles of good organization and coordination, and the composition of a general ration calculated to meet the populations’ minimum requirements for energy, protein, fat, and micronutrients. Guidelines for selective feeding programmes are presented in chapter five, which covers both the supplementary feeding of vulnerable groups and the therapeutic feeding of individuals suffering from deficiency diseases.

In view of the close link between infectious diseases and malnutrition, chapter six offers advice on the organization of services to ensure priority immunizations and to monitor and treat each of twelve infectious diseases commonly seen in developing countries. The book concludes with advice on the planning, administration, and logistics of emergency preparedness and response programmes, emphasizing the need to detect vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies and monitor early warning indicators.