What is An Epidemiologist Poisoned Picnic Notes

The Case of the Picnic Poisoning • • • On the evening of September 23, at approximately 8:30 p.m., your phone rings. A nurse from your local hospital frantically tells you that she has 95 patients who are, as she describes it, “lying all over the place.” They are vomiting, they have diarrhea and some are in such pain that they won’t even move from the hallways of the hospital or the front lawn of the community center. DATA REVIEW: • • • There was a community picnic dinner, which was attended by some 350 people. The dinner began at 8:00 p.m. The first sick patients began arriving at the hospital around 8:25 p.m. HEALTH INFORMATICS OCCUPATIONS • • These occupations collect, manage, organize, and analyze information in the healthcare field. These occupations require computer technology skills and knowledge of healthcare and office software. #1 - COLLECT DATA ON THE 4 PICNIC CONTRIBUTORS • • The team interviews the people who brought the food and drink. On the next 4 slides you need to collect data (details) describing the people who contributed to the picnic. MOLLY • • • • She is a local housewife who runs a daycare center for 9 children approximately 1-8 years old. She was asked to cook 15 hams. The day of the banquet she and 3 of her older day care children spent most of the day preparing the hams in her kitchen. She also has a soft spot for birds and cats; you are told she has 4 birds and 12 cats. ABRAM • • • • He is the manager of the Roto Rooter Fertilizer outlet in the state’s Capital, about 290 miles away. He has been ill recently, and only helped mix the salad after nobody else would volunteer to do it. Symptoms of his recent illness include double vision, diarrhea, high fever and skin lesions. He feels fine now. JOHN • • • He is a hard-working local dairy farmer who has been asked to bring 200 gallons of red fruit punch. Lacking anything else to bring the punch in, he uses several of his milk cans. The milk cans have recently been repaired after several years of use. BACK AT THE SCENE • • • In the meantime, 3 environmental health specialists are sent to the picnic to collect food samples, which are transported to the public health laboratory at the hospital. The environmental specialists collect the containers the food and drinks were served in. By early the next morning, several patients are ready to be interviewed. THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY PEOPLE GET SICK. • • • Viruses and bacteria may cause infections like strep throat and influenza (flu). Some bacteria and viruses can live in food causing food-borne illnesses like salmonella and hepatitis A. Exposure to excessive amounts of chemicals or chemical elements (also called minerals) can cause illness like heavy metal poisoning from lead or cadmium. #2 - ILLNESS CHART • • • • Record the cause of each illness. Record the time it takes to get sick. Record what happens to the patient. This information will help you solve the case. INFLUENZA (FLU) • • • • • Cause of the illness: this is an extremely contagious infection caused by a virus. It attacks the nose, throat, and lungs. Time for symptoms to occur: is short and the symptoms come on quickly. Symptoms are: fever, headache, fatigue, dry cough, sore throat, congested nose, and body aches. Most people will recover in one to two weeks, but a few people will progress to pneumonia and other complications including death. An average of 35,000 Americans die annually from influenza. HEPATITIS A • • • • • • • Cause of the illness: is a viral infection that causes liver damage. This particular virus is transmitted by food or water that has been contaminated with feces from an infected person. This obviously means you should always wash your hands after going to the bathroom and before handling food. Time for symptoms to occur: is within 2 to 4 weeks. The symptoms include jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. There is no treatment for hepatitis A. SALMONELLA • • • • Cause of the illness: this is a bacterial infection that may occur after eating contaminated food such as raw chicken or raw eggs. Some animals, such as reptiles, baby chicks, and baby ducks, may also carry salmonella and pass it in their feces. Cats and dogs can also carry salmonella in their feces as well. Time for symptoms to occur: they begin one to three days after the infection. Salmonella infection causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain. LEAD POISONING • • • • Cause of the illness: lead is a soft, heavy blue gray metal naturally occurring in the earth’s crust. Lead used to be common in paints, and is still found in batteries, solder used for repairing metal containers, bullets, and roofing materials. It also exists in food cans that have not been soldered properly. Time for symptoms to occur: within 30 minutes to an hour. Lead poisoning can cause stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Prolonged exposure can damage the kidneys, cause mental retardation, coma, seizures, and death. CADMIUM POISONING • • • • Cause of the illness: cadmium is a metal, which can be very poisonous to the body. It is highly corrosion resistant and is desirable in the automotive, electronics, marine, and aerospace industries. It has also been used in soldering and in the production of metal cans. Time for symptoms to occur: within 30 minutes to an hour. If cadmium is ingested, it can immediately cause choking attacks, vomiting, abdominal pains, diarrhea, dizziness, and a loss of consciousness. #3 - EPIDEMIOLOGIST CHART Use the following information to calculate the percent of people who got sick based on what they ingested. 1. Tanner - Did not get sick. He ate the ham and salad. He drank water only. He is on a diet and is limiting his sugar intake. 2. Ana - Did get sick. She ate the ham, salad and drank the fruit punch. 3. Megan - Did get sick. She ate salad and had the fruit punch. 4. Jim - Sick, ham, salad and fruit punch 5. BriAnn - Well, salad and drank water 6. Juan - Sick, ham, salad, water and fruit punch 7. Tyson - Well, ham, salad and water 8. Paul - Sick, ham, salad and fruit punch 9. Maria - Sick, ham and fruit punch 10. Sarah - Sick, ham, water and fruit punch 11. Debbie - Sick, ham, salad, water and fruit punch 12. Allen - Sick, ham, salad, water and fruit punch 13. Bridget - Well, ham, salad and water 14. Laura - Well, ham and water 15. Sionne - Well, ham, salad and water As the epidemiologist, answer the following questions to identify what item made everyone sick and how it made them sick.