5-3 Final Project Milestone Two: Population
Wendy Wilson
June 6, 2021
Principles of Epidemiology
Professor Napier
In the years of 1998-1999 a case study was performed on the occupants of Trinidad and
Tobago. This case study entailed screening the occupants for different types of Salmonella
infections, which included Typhimurium, Enteritidis, and other types of Salmonella infections.
Some of the guidelines that were considered are age, food eaten, and month of diagnosis. While
this sickness affected the locals it also affected the tourists during that time.
One social determinant is the population, because they are the ones preparing the food
that is being eaten. The next social determinant is the farms that the food is coming from. In this
case there are ten egg producing farms that were selected which were located mostly in Trinidad.
Out of the ten farms none of them had routine microbial monitoring of their eggs. Six of the ten
farms were deemed unsanitary due to dirty nesting boxes and poultry houses, liter surfaces were
wet on most occasions, and there were rodents and flies. The third social determinant is the fact
that the farmers have no official training on cleanliness. Getting a professional to show and
explain why it is important to adhere to safety precautions.
One disparity was the simple fact that the farmers that maintained the farms did not
adhere to appropriate safety measures to ensure that their animals were disease free. There was
also a safety breach with the handling of the eggs between them being laid and the selling of the
eggs. The time that it takes for the disease to be reported is also a disparity. According to the
information it took 56 days to report the cases to the CAREC. In the time it takes for the cases to
be reported there could be 100 or more cases diagnosed. Since the farms and egg stands were
unsanitary and not regulated more people are being exposed every day. The simple fact that the
farmers did not care about safety and only wanted to make money is another disparity. Instead of
making sure that the community as a whole was protected, they chose to make money.
There seems to be very few differences when it comes to the psychological and
demographic causes in a social environment. In order to minimize the death toll there needs to be
infection control and medical programs to help the people that are critically ill. Making sure that
the residents are educated on the risks and prevention of salmonella. When it comes to social
determinants poor hygiene is at the top of the list. Along with improper handling of food at
restaurants. Not having proper training which resulted in locals and tourists becoming infected
with the virus.
While doing research on salmonella, I learned information that could be valuable to my
everyday living. One interesting fact that I found out is that most animals have salmonella in
their intestines. Because Tobago and Trinidad had a lack i