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Preventive Medicine 2018
Journal of Preventive Medicine
ISSN: 2572-5483
Page 81
July 16-17, 2018
London, UK
9
th
Edition of International Conference on
Preventive Medicine
& Public Health
Background:
Globally, about 600 million fall ill and 420,000 die
every year after eating contaminated food. On June 12, 2017, Iraq
CDC informed about a food poisoning outbreak among internally
displaced persons (IDPs) in Al-Khazir camp, Northern Iraq after
consuming iftar (Ramadan breakfast) provided by an NGO. Iftar
was composed of rice, white bean broth, chicken, yogurt, date and
bread. We conducted this study to describe the outbreak, identify
the causative agent and recommend preventive measures.
Methods:
A team of field epidemiology training program (FETP)
residents dispatched to investigate the outbreak. The case patient
was defined as any person in the camp who ate iftar and developed
nausea/vomiting or diarrhea or abdominal pain. A retrospective
cohort study was initiated.
Results:
The total number of IDPs in the camp was 6,425; 1,470
(22.9%)were in sectionsC, DandEwhogot iftar andall weredirectly
interviewed. The mean age of patients was 19 (±15years), and the
female, male ratio was 1.1:1. The attack rate was 91%. The most
frequent symptoms were nausea and vomiting (86.6%), abdominal
pain (68.4%) and diarrhea (59%). The range of incubation period
was 15 minutes-16 hours; 62.2% had symptoms after three hours.
About 72% of patients treated in the nearby primary health care
(PHCs) and 28% transferred to the ER. None of the patients was
hospitalized or died. The implicated food items were: rice (RR=1.4;
95% CI: 1.2-1.6) and chicken (RR=1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.3). Laboratory
resultsof examined leftover foodsamples revealedStaphylococcus
aureus growth. All meals were prepared by one restaurant, not kept
in refrigerators and served after 10 hrs. For legal causes, the team
was not allowed to assess the restaurant or examine the workers.
Conclusions:
The large number of ordered meals from a single
restaurant led to suboptimal food preparation and storage.
We recommended rigorous implementation of food handing
instructions and health education of the food handlers.
kareemabdalh@yahoo.comA food poisoning outbreak in Al-Khazir U2 camp of internally
displaced persons - Iraq, summer 2017
K Fathallah, Kamal Kadhim, A Jaafar, A Hamad, S Saadoon
and
Z Awad F Lami
University of Baghdad, Iraq
J Prev Med 2018, Volume 3
DOI: 10.21767/2572-5483-C1-003