4-3 Final Project Milestone One: Health Issue
Stephanie Rojas Andrade
IHP-330-J6045 Principles of Epidemiology 21EW6
In the case study "Salmonella in the Caribbean," the research team focused on one
specific serotype of Salmonella in Trinidad & Tobago. Risk factors associated
with Salmonella in the Caribbean mostly have to do with the two types of populations at risk in
the same area: locals and tourists. Being the most tourism dependent region in the world for at
least the last three decades (Wong, 2015), tourists contracting Salmonella is not only a burden on
an already mediocre healthcare system, but detrimental in the long term to the reputation and
economic success of a particular resort, restaurant, country, etc. Locals, before the action
component of this research study was implemented especially, are at a unique risk
for Salmonella given the culturally acceptable standards of egg producing farm and the lack of
prior knowledge as to where Salmonella can come from.
Salmonella is a naturally present bacteria in the intestines of several animals and
typically transmitted by humans eating food contaminated with animal feces. Eggs are a
common vector. The mortality rate is relatively low; Salmonella can be serious for
immunocompromised individuals or if the infection becomes overwhelming. The bacteria can
spread to the blood stream. The mortality rate can be calculated by adding the total amount of
serotype laboratory isolates (1097) then dividing it by the average number of individuals that die
annually as a result of Salmonella exposure. 4/1097 then multiplying it by 100 to get 0.36%.
The incidence and prevalence of Salmonella in Trinidad & Tobago is easy to calculate
using the information provided in the study (Table 1) as well as population number. However.
it's still important to note that this is not an entirely perfect way to calculate incidence as there is
a significant percentage of these cases that can be attributed to foreign nationals.
Incidence:
3
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
51/1,265,000 x 100,000 44/1,265,000 x 100,000 56/1,265,000 x 100,000 85/1,265,000 x 100,000 135/ 1,265,000 x 100,000 114/ 1,265,000 x 100,000 129/1,265,000 x 100,000 139/ 1,265,000 x 100,000 205/ 1,265,000 x 100,000 139/ 1,265,000 x 100,000
4.03 3.48 4.43 6.72 10.67 9.01 10.20 10.99 16.21 10.99
Prevalence:
Enteritidies
10 + 12 + 28 + 57 + 117 + 83 307/1,265,000 x 100,000
307 24.27
Typhimurium
14 + 16 + 19 + 27 + 94 +55+ 47 +23+21+15 331/1,265,000 x 100,000
331 26.17
Other
37+ 28+37+58+31+47+54+59+67+41 459/1,265,000 x 100,000
459 36.28
The odds of contracting Salmonella can be calculated using the data provided. The
biggest food risks are dishes with raw or under-cooked eggs with a ratio of 18.9. Followed is the
eating egg shells, drinking powdered milk, ground beef, exposure to live chickens, under