Running head: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Epidemiological Research Study Final
Jonni Fogleman
Southern New Hampshire University
Running head: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
In 1980's Caribbean, there was a suspicion of Salmonella cases on the rise due to a large
number of tourists and locals getting sick with bad cases of diarrhea. This led to concern and a
need for further research. Between 1988 and 1997 there was a study conducted on the people o1
Trinidad and Tobago to determine the source of infection and the serotype of virus they got sick
with. In this study, all who were examined became ill no matter their geographical or
socioeconomic status. Just like any virus, any outbreak, research must be done to determine the
cause and effect of the issue at hand. To further investigate this scenario, ten egg-producing
farms were examined. All the ill individuals had one major thing in common, they ate meals that
contained raw or undercooked eggs (information found in the case-control study). This is one
potential cause of the outbreak. After examination, six of the ten farms were found to be
unsanitary, and their eggs were not handled carefully. None of the farms had microbial
monitoring. Final results from the study indicated that the agriculture industry had to implement
special sanitary strategies as a form of prevention.
Three social and behavioral determinants strongly associated with the public health issue
in this case include physical environment (agriculture), education, and government. The physical
environment determinant in this case is seen through the direct location that the case took place
With hot, wet, and humid environments, a virus is bound to spread sometime. The agricultural
fumes in the air can also bring bugs that may carry potentially life threatening viruses. The
educational determinant is very important in this case as well. As mentioned above, the farms
were unsanitary and were not taken care of very well. In an environment where the farm staff is
educated on how to clean, sanitize, and keep up with regular farm work, the likelihood of illness
is lower. However, this was not true in this case. Lastly, government and regulation play a huge
role in this case as well. The communicable disease surveillance system in place did not
Running head: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
investigate risk factors related to infection and did not support timely detention. Not only this.
but the industry of agriculture also did no routine checks on the farms to make sure they were
sanitary and up to date. The industry only stepped in when there was already a problem, not
before there was one.
Although the total population of the island is relatively small, there is a lot of disease in
one place. In this case, the first disparity could fall under community engagement (in holidays)
and safety. In Table 2 of the study, it is noted that a large population of the individuals who were
diagnosed with the virus were exposed to meals that contained raw egg or undercooked eggs.
This comes primarily due to the time