Epidemic Investigation

How do you investigate an outbreak of food poisoning? Outline the management

◦ Collection of basic data such as location of the place where the affected people had
taken the food

◦ Interrogation of all the affected persons

◦ Nature of foods( type) eaten during the previous two days

◦ Time of onset of symptoms

◦ Nature of the symptoms in the order of occurrence

◦ Personal data such as total number persons affected, their names, age, sex, address,
occupation and related information

◦ Number of deaths if any

Assessment of environmental factors such as.

⁃ Inspection of kitchen

◦ To assess sanitation of kitchen and dining hall

◦ To know the nature of the storage of food grains

◦ To know the nature of the storage of cooked foods

◦ To know the presence of rodents

◦ Interrogation and examination of food handlers and other employees regarding

personal hygiene, and illness if any

-Laboratory investigations such as

◦ Vomitus and stools of the patient for culture in aerobic and anaerobic medias

◦ Sample of suspected food for culture in both medias

◦ Serological test of the blood of the affected persons for antibody titer

◦ Culture of the stools and urine of the food handlers and kitchen employees

⁃ Data is analyzed according to the descriptive methods of time, place and person
distribution.

⁃ Food specific attack ratio and case fatality rates are calculated

⁃ Etiological hypothesis is formulated

⁃ Case control study is undertaken to establish the association between the disease and
the particular food
 ◦ Prevention and control measures undertaken

⁃ Taking care of food

◦ Proper storage of food grains

◦ Proper cooking of food

◦ Protection of cooked good from rodents, insects and bare handlers

-Taking care of food handlers

◦ They should maintain a high standard of personal hygiene

◦ They are educated to undergo periodical medical checkup

◦ They must abstain from the duty if they develop septic skin lesions, respiratory and
intestinal symptoms

◦ Carriers should remain absent from the duty till they are cured bacteriologically

⁃ Taking care of environment

◦ Kitchen and dining hall must be clean and dry

◦ Utensils should be thoroughly washed with soap and hot water

◦ Rodents and insects must be controlled.