Ericka Adams
IHP 330- Milestone 2: Population Southern New Hampshire University
11/26/2020
Between 1988 and 1997 a study was conducted on the residents of Tobago and Trinidad. The study was
to screen the residents for various types of Salmonella infections, including Enteritidis, Typhimurium and
with salmonella. Not only were the locals becoming infected with salmonella, the tourists were
becoming infected as well, which lead to public concern. Once the numbers began to increase, at a rapid
rate,there was a critical concern to figure out the who,what,where, when and how the Salmonella
infection being spread.
A social determinant is Society, as these are the people who are preparing the food that will be
consumed. Another social determinant is location. In this case, there were ten farms in Tobago and
Trinidad that were supplying eggs for human consumption. These farms had no microbial surveillance to
ensure the safety of the eggs that were being distributed to the residents. Of the ten farms located in
Tobago and Trinidad, six of them were deemed unsafe and not hygienic. Another social determinant is
training. Ensuring that the people have proper training to educate them about the ways Salmonella
infections occur and how to prevent them is critical. Once communities understand the Salmonella and
prevention measures, they will be more aware of how to properly handle and cook their food. Thereby
reducing the incidence of infection.
The first disparity would be that the farmers who are supervising the farms and the lack of
appropriate safety measure to ensure that their flock was disease free. Also, there was no safety
measures put in place for those who were selling the eggs, which meant that not only was this missed
within the flock. this was also missed once the eggs were laid. Another maior disparity is the length of
time it takes for a disease to be reported from the Caribbean. In this case in particular, it stated that it
took 56 days for the report to reach the agency who is keeping track of incidents. In that amount of time,
there could have been hundreds more people contracting Salmonella due to this breakdown in
communication. Due to the fact that the farms were unsanitary, the egg stands selling the eggs not being
regulated and the amount of time it takes for the report to reach the proper team, more people are
being exposed to salmonella and possibly becoming ill. It is unfortunate that the farmers did not have
the health and best interest of the community in mind and therefore did not follow through with
ensuring that their flocks were not infected, prior to allowing them to lay eggs. The farmers were more
concerned with generating a profit to survive, than they were in making sure that the community as a
whole was protected.
In the social environment, there seem to be very few differences in the psychological and
demographic causes. Infection control and medical programs to assist those who are critically ill are
necessary to ensur