Outbreak of Gastroenteritis Occurred in Greenport
Please use the course material (attached separately) to provide specific details and correct order of what you would do while performing a field epidemiology investigation for each step.
Background:
An outbreak (epidemic) of gastroenteritis occurred in Greenport, a suburban neighborhood, on the evening of April 28. A total of 89 people went to the emergency departments of the three local hospitals during that evening. No more cases were reported afterward. These patients complained of headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The disease was severe enough in 19 patients to require hospitalization for rehydration. Gastroenteritis outbreaks like this are usually caused by the consumption of a contaminated or poisoned meal. Meal contamination can often be caused by pathogenic viruses or bacteria. However, acute outbreaks are more often produced by toxins from bacteria such as Staphylococcius spp., Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella spp. and Vibrio cholerae. Food poisoning can also be caused by chemicals or heavy metals, such as copper, cadmium or zinc, or by shellfish toxins.
**No cover page needed.
FIELD EPIDEMIOLOGY INVESTIGATION
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Field Epidemiology Investigation
Phase 1
Preparing for the Field Work (Step 1) and Establishing the Existence of an Epidemic (Step 2)
In preparation for any epidemic/outbreak fieldwork, it is important to know the threshold of cases to be considered when determining if a series of reports qualify as an epidemic. According to the New South Wales Ministry of Health (Gastroenteritis - Controlling Viral Outbreaks, 2019), gastroenteritis outbreaks are established when two or more cases of gastroenteritis are reported in a specific area. Since 89 cases were already reported, the epidemic was already established.
Verification of the Diagnosis (3)
Gastroenteritis causes diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps and pain, muscle aches, headaches, and low-grade fevers (Mayoclinic, 2022). The complaints of the patients are consistent with the symptoms of gastroenteritis. Hence the diagnosis is correct.
Phase 2
Working Case Identification (Step 4)
Based on the case background, on April 28th, an outbreak of gastroenteritis was reported in Greenport, a suburban neighborhood in Long Island, NY.
Cases and Information Records (Step 5)
Based on the case background, there were 89 reported cases of gastroenteritis in Greenport on April 28th. There were no reported cases following these on this date. The patients admitted to the emergency departments of three local hospitals had similar complaints of headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. 19 patients required hospitalization due to dehydration from diarrhea and vomiting, while the rest did not require hospitalization.
Descriptive Epidemiology (Step 6)
The outbreak occurred in Greenport, Long Island, NY, on April 28th to 89 people (based on those who came to the hospital and were diagnosed with gastroenteritis. The outbreak was caused by consuming contaminated food of unknown origins, which caused the gastroenteritis outbreak (food poisoning). No specific demographic information on the ag...