Abstract
Introduction: Foodborne diseases remain one of the rising global public health concerns. The identification of the causes and issues causing foodborne outbreaks will allow health officials and the government to develop strategies to revamp existing policies and strengthen food safety. Bacillus cereus is one of the commonest pathogens of food poisoning. However, it is not much reported due to its less severe symptoms and shorter duration of illness. This report aims to describe the epidemiology of cases, the causative agent, and the risk factor of the food poisoning outbreak that occurred in one boarding school in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan on November 20, 2021.
Method: Epidemiological, environmental and laboratory investigations were performed. The cases were defined as any person with symptoms of abdominal pain, headache, vomiting or diarrhoea after consumption of food served by the school hostel canteen operator. The data were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 26.
Results: Out of 597 students staying in the school hostels, 152 cases met the case definition of food poisoning with an attack rate of 25.5%. All cases were female with aged ranging from 13 to 17 years. The symptoms were abdominal pain (100%), nausea (97.4%), headache (88.2%), vomiting (78.3%) and diarrhoea (61.8%). A continuous common source was identified as the mode of transmission of the outbreak. The contaminated food that were identified were rice (odds ratio (OR):19.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.62, 147.01), nasi impit (rice cubes) (OR: 18.17, 95% CI: 4.31, 76.55) and vermicelli (OR:17.02, 95% CI: 4.03, 71.86). Bacillus cereus was the identified pathogen that was detected from hand swabs and a few kitchen equipments. Cross-contamination during food handling was the contributing factor to the outbreak.
Conclusion: This foodborne outbreak at the boarding school was caused by Bacillus Cereus through cross-contamination. The outbreak highlights the importance of personal hygiene, especially hand hygiene and proper food handling. Food safety practices must be emphasised with frequent monitoring and training. It is also recommended for all food providers in schools or hostels to be registered as certified catering services to ensure better food safety and control measures.
Links
- https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/APCPH2022-O-27.pdf
- https://apcph.cphm.my/events/oral-session-9-ballroom-C/
BibTeX (Download)
@proceedings{APCPH2022-O-27,
title = {Foodborne Outbreak Associated with Bacillus Cereus in A Boarding School, Seremban District, Malaysia},
author = {Nur Nadiatul Asyikin Bujang and Nadiatul Ima Zulkifli and Syuaib Aiman Amir and Siti Aishah Abas and Sharina Mohd Shah and Khairul Hafidz Alkhair Khairul Amin and Veshny Ganesan1 and Nurul Fazilah Aziz and Muhamad Hazizi Muhamad Hasani and Nur Azieanie Zainuddin and Mohd Shahrol Abd Wahil and Noor Khalili Mohd Ali and Mohamad Paid Yusof},
url = {https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/APCPH2022-O-27.pdf
https://apcph.cphm.my/events/oral-session-9-ballroom-C/},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-08-01},
urldate = {2022-08-02},
issue = {7},
abstract = {Introduction: Foodborne diseases remain one of the rising global public health concerns. The identification of the causes and issues causing foodborne outbreaks will allow health officials and the government to develop strategies to revamp existing policies and strengthen food safety. Bacillus cereus is one of the commonest pathogens of food poisoning. However, it is not much reported due to its less severe symptoms and shorter duration of illness. This report aims to describe the epidemiology of cases, the causative agent, and the risk factor of the food poisoning outbreak that occurred in one boarding school in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan on November 20, 2021.
Method: Epidemiological, environmental and laboratory investigations were performed. The cases were defined as any person with symptoms of abdominal pain, headache, vomiting or diarrhoea after consumption of food served by the school hostel canteen operator. The data were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 26.
Results: Out of 597 students staying in the school hostels, 152 cases met the case definition of food poisoning with an attack rate of 25.5%. All cases were female with aged ranging from 13 to 17 years. The symptoms were abdominal pain (100%), nausea (97.4%), headache (88.2%), vomiting (78.3%) and diarrhoea (61.8%). A continuous common source was identified as the mode of transmission of the outbreak. The contaminated food that were identified were rice (odds ratio (OR):19.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.62, 147.01), nasi impit (rice cubes) (OR: 18.17, 95% CI: 4.31, 76.55) and vermicelli (OR:17.02, 95% CI: 4.03, 71.86). Bacillus cereus was the identified pathogen that was detected from hand swabs and a few kitchen equipments. Cross-contamination during food handling was the contributing factor to the outbreak.
Conclusion: This foodborne outbreak at the boarding school was caused by Bacillus Cereus through cross-contamination. The outbreak highlights the importance of personal hygiene, especially hand hygiene and proper food handling. Food safety practices must be emphasised with frequent monitoring and training. It is also recommended for all food providers in schools or hostels to be registered as certified catering services to ensure better food safety and control measures.},
howpublished = {published online at https://apcph.cphm.my},
note = {Type: ORAL PRESENTATION; Organisation: Seremban District Health Office, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya; Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Teknologi Mara; Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia; Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia},
keywords = {Bacillus Cereus, boarding school, foodborne outbreak},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}