MedlSys: An early-warning system for the detection of (re-)emerging food-and feed-borne hazards

摘要

We evaluated the Medical Information System (MedlSys) as an early-warning system for the detection of food- and feed-borne hazards. Nine hazards were selected in the period from January 2007 to March 2009 from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and traced back on MedlSys and ProMED-mail. In addition, from January to March 2009, food- and feed-borne (re-)emerging hazards were monitored on MedlSys and traced back on ProMED-mail and RASFF. MedlSys has demonstrated to be an effective early-warning system for food- and feed-borne hazards. However, further customization is required to improve its sensitivity, in particular by increasing the number of multi-lingual categories related to food and feed items. MedlSys tended to detect food- and feed-borne hazards earlier and more frequently than ProMED-mail, but the information from both systems was often complementary.