According to Fletcher (2015) a crude attack rate is the statistical measurement of the speed in which a disease spreads during an outbreak within an at risk population. The attack rate provides an estimate of the number of people who became ill after exposure to the foodborne illness. To calculate the crude attack rate the number of cases are divided by the number of people who are within the at risk population. Based on the case study an outbreak of food poisoning has occurred in the Bluegrass Hospital which has an estimated population of 400 staff and patients. Amongst the 400, 60 people became ill. Based on this information the crude attack rate is 12.50. This was calculated by dividing 60 people into the total population or at risk…show more content… The food specific attack rate for egg salad amongst the individuals who actually consumed this menu item for dinner was 35.71. This was the highest estimated food specific attack rate amongst the eight menu options that were consumed by the patients and staff of the Bluegrass Hospital. It appears based on the figures that the food item that was most likely the cause of the common source outbreak is egg salad.
An incubation period is the period of time between when the individual is exposed to the illness to the onset of the individuals experiencing clinical symptoms of illness (Daniels 2002). According to Daniels (2002), in order to determine the incubation period, the peak period of the outbreak must be know. The peak period is the time period where the most number of cases of the illness occurred. The incubation period for the outbreak at the Bluegrass Hospital is 1 to 3 hours.
According to the CDC, food borne illnesses develops from bacteria, viruses and parasites that develops in food items due to improper food handling. Eggs is one of the most common foods that becomes contaminated. The outbreak in the Bluegrass Hospital occurred when patients and staff were served food items containing the egg products that was contaminated with
