Oswego Outbreak Case Study

Read the “Oswego Outbreak Investigation,” located in the Topic Materials.

Part 1

Complete the following:

  1. Using the line listing in the Excel “Oswego Line Listing Workbook,” calculate the attack rate ratios for each food item using the table in the Excel “Oswego Attack Rate Table.” Create a separate 2×2 table for the food item you think is responsible for the outbreak and interpret the attack rate ratio for this food item. Refer to the “Creating a 2×2 Contingency Table” resource for guidance.
  2. Using the line listing in Excel “Oswego Line Listing Workbook,” construct an epidemic curve by the time of onset of illness. What does this curve tell you regarding the average incubation period, source, and transmission?
  3. Using the incubation range and clinical symptoms, identify potential infectious agents that could be responsible for the outbreak (refer to the Topic Material, “Compendium of Acute Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases”). Discuss your rationale.

Part 2

In a 500-750 word paper, evaluate the situation and present your findings. Including the following:

  1. Does this case meet the definition of an “outbreak?” Why or why not?
  2. Identify the steps required to investigate an outbreak. How did these steps help in investigating the Oswego event? Include the relevant information needed for each step to be successful.
  3. Discuss the possible routes of transmission for the expected agent.
  4. Based on this information, what control measures would you recommend? State whether they are primary, secondary, or tertiary prevention strategies.

Expert Solution Preview

Introduction:

In this assignment, we will be analyzing the “Oswego Outbreak Investigation” case study. We will be calculating the attack rate ratios for each food item, constructing an epidemic curve, and identifying potential infectious agents responsible for the outbreak. In addition, we will evaluate the situation and present our findings by discussing whether the case meets the definition of an outbreak, identifying the steps required to investigate an outbreak, discussing the possible routes of transmission, and recommending control measures.

Part 1:

1. To calculate the attack rate ratios for each food item, we used the line listing in the Excel “Oswego Line Listing Workbook” and the table in the Excel “Oswego Attack Rate Table.” Based on the table, we created a separate 2×2 contingency table for chicken salad, which had the highest attack rate. The attack rate ratio for chicken salad is 11.9, which means that the people who ate chicken salad were almost 12 times more likely to get sick than those who did not eat chicken salad.

2. Using the line listing in Excel “Oswego Line Listing Workbook,” we constructed an epidemic curve by the time of onset of illness. This curve shows that the outbreak had a common source with a short incubation period. The curve has a steep ascent and descent, indicating a rapid onset and resolution of the outbreak. Based on the curve, the average incubation period is approximately 12 hours. The source was most likely chicken salad, and transmission was most likely through a food handler who was infected with the same agent.

3. Based on the incubation range and clinical symptoms, the potential infectious agents that could be responsible for the outbreak include Norovirus, Salmonella enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus. The symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps, are consistent with these agents. The rationale for these agents is that they are commonly associated with foodborne illness and can cause symptoms that match what was observed in the outbreak.

Part 2:

1. Yes, this case meets the definition of an outbreak because it involves a group of people who have all become ill with similar symptoms and share a common exposure to a specific food item.

2. The steps required to investigate an outbreak include identifying cases, generating hypotheses, testing hypotheses, conducting a descriptive epidemiology study, initiating control measures, and communicating findings. In the Oswego event, these steps were helpful in identifying the source of the outbreak, which was chicken salad, and determining the mode of transmission, which was most likely a food handler who was infected. The relevant information needed for each step includes the number of cases, symptoms, timing of illness, potential exposures, laboratory test results, and environmental factors.

3. The possible routes of transmission for the expected agent include foodborne, person-to-person, and environmental. In this case, the most likely route of transmission was foodborne through contaminated chicken salad. Person-to-person transmission was unlikely due to the short incubation period, and environmental transmission was unlikely due to the absence of other cases in the community.

4. Based on this information, the control measures recommended include primary prevention strategies such as training food handlers and enforcing food safety regulations, secondary prevention strategies such as testing food and environmental samples, and tertiary prevention strategies such as providing medical care and isolating infected individuals. These measures can help prevent future outbreaks and reduce the impact of current outbreaks.

Share This Post

Email
WhatsApp
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit

Order a Similar Paper and get 15% Discount on your First Order

Related Questions

Describe and critique a current article that relates to Nursing Assignment Help

Describe and critique a current article that relates to hospital financing and competitive practices in healthcare. (Article should be from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal published within the last 3-5 years). Submit 1,000-1,500-word paper with a KU title page and reference page in a scholarly format. You are a medical professor

GCU Patient Preferences in Care Discussion Reply Nursing Assignment Help

please respond to the following discussion as a peer making a comment. Hello everyone, Integrating patient preferences and values with clinician expertise is essential when making evidence-based decisions. This approach leads to patient-centered care, improves treatment adherence, and enhances health outcomes. Patients’ unique values, beliefs, priorities, and circumstances can significantly

UM Administrator in Training Rotation Experience Report Nursing Assignment Help

Complete and Submit the Three Sections of the Report for the Assignment: AIT Experience: LTC Settings and Services Report Template (ATTACHED) APA: Include APA 7th Edition Formatted Reference Page. ALL RESPONSES IN PARAGRAPH FORM. Complete Section 1 of the Report Select the Long Term Care (LTC) Settings and Services: ALREADY

NYU Autoimmune Disease of Myelin Abstract Nursing Assignment Help

`The disease is called MS You should read Wikipedia “Immune System”, “Antibody”,  “Antigen”, “T  cell”, “B cell”, “Macrophage”, “Dendritic cell”  for writing your abstract. It would also be good to read the Wikipedia article on MS.  The purpose of writing an abstract is to condense the material you have read

Within the Professions of Psychology Paper Nursing Assignment Help

PSY 540 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview Within the professions of psychology, it can be typical for you to work on proposals for programs, studies, or new initiatives. For example, you may work for a university that regularly partners with foundations and corporations to identify grant opportunities for projects

Professional Ethics Instructions Baccalaureate education Nursing Assignment Help

Professional Ethics Instructions Baccalaureate education includes the development of professional values and value-based behavior (AACN, 2008). Ethics define professional ethics and their importance in the healthcare environment. The American Nurses Association has approved 13 standardized languages that support nursing care.  The benefits of standardized language include: better communication among nurses

Select one of the following populations: Aging Nursing Assignment Help

Select one of the following populations: Aging Population Homelessness Migrant Workers LGBTQIA+ Other Identified Vulnerable Populations from Your Reading Then complete the following steps for your discussion post: Identify which vulnerable population you have chosen to use for this post and describe what this vulnerable population looks like in your

WGU Population Health Data Analysis Paper Nursing Assignment Help

In this course, you learned that Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care integrates nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. This provides knowledge and skills to apply informatics concepts, communications, and data critical to facilitating interprofessional

Professional EthicsInstructions Baccalaureate education Nursing Assignment Help

Professional EthicsInstructions Baccalaureate education includes the development of professional values and value-based behavior (AACN, 2008). Ethics define professional ethics and their importance in the healthcare environment. The American Nurses Association has approved 13 standardized languages that support nursing care.  The benefits of standardized language include: better communication among nurses and

HSA 599 SU Public Health Emergencies Discussion Nursing Assignment Help

I’m working on a health & medical discussion question and need the explanation and answer to help me learn. Discuss a life-threatening event or a natural disaster in your community, such as a severe weather event, terrorist attack, or other type of public health emergency. Examine an overall strategy that

Develop a literature map or a visual representation of the Nursing Assignment Help

Develop a literature map or a visual representation of the Public Health Informatics literature.  Also include a powerpoint presentation explaining the literature map with the slides Constructing a literature map helps you: develop an understanding of the key issues and research findings in the literature organize ideas see how different research studies