This assignment is divided into 3 parts.
Part A (12 marks)
Read the article by Smith et al. (2012) and answer the questions below.
Article
Smith, AJ, McCarthy, N, Saldana, L, Ihekweazu, C, McPhedran, K, Adak, GK, Iturriza-Gomara, M, Bickler, G and O’Moore, E 2012, A large foodborne outbreak of norovirus in diners at a restaurant in England between January and February 2009,Epidemiology and Infection, vol. 140, pp. 1695-1701
http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1030237269?accountid=14205(Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)
Questions
1. The authors state that norovirus is the most common known cause of infectious intestinal disease in Western Europe and North America.What are some of the features of norovirus that makes it so common?(1 mark)
2. What are the three key components of an outbreak investigation? Briefly describe how this study addressed these three components.(3 marks)
3. The authors stated that the delay in reporting the outbreak to the health authority impeded the investigation.
a. How did the delay affect the interviews with affected diners?(1 mark)
b. How did the delay affect the food and environmental investigations?(1 mark)
4. A case-control study was undertaken to identify risk factors in order to make recommendations to assist in the prevention and control of future outbreaks.
a. What were the case and control definitions?(1 mark)
b. Why is it important to establish a case definition when investigating an outbreak?(1 mark)
5. Describe the shape of the epidemic curve. What did the epidemic curve reveal about the incubation period and type and magnitude of the outbreak?(1 mark)
6. The authors stated that the investigation of staff food handling and hygiene practices was undertaken by interview rather than observation. What are some limitations associated with this method of data collection?(1 mark)
7. Explain why food handlers likely contributed to this outbreak.(1 mark)
8. What were some of the measures that were suggested to prevent or control outbreaks of this nature in the future?(1 mark)
Part B (8 Marks)
Read through theGuidelines for the Investigation of Gastroenteritisand answer all of the questions below. Each question is worth 1 mark.
Guidelines
https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/about/publications/researchandreports/guidelines-for-investigation-gastroenteritis-for-environmental-health-officers(Links to an external site.)
1. Identify the legislation which gives powers to EHOs to investigate infectious diseases in Victoria and briefly describe what is meant by the term ‘notifiable diseases’.
2. Describe the privacy legislation which EHOs must be aware of when interviewing cases.
3. Differentiate between a sporadic case, a cluster and an outbreak of gastroenteritis.
4. Describe the key risk factors which must be examined when investigating a single incident case of gastroenteritis.
5. Identify some of the common settings for gastroenteritis outbreaks. Suggest some reasons why gastroenteritis is easily spread in these settings.
6. Describe the different routes by which outbreaks of gastroenteritis may be transmitted.
7. Briefly explain what is involved in Environmental Cleaning following an outbreak of gastroenteritis and differentiate between cleaning and disinfection.
8. Explain what Chain of Custody means and what it involves in relation to investigating outbreaks of gastroenteritis.
Part C (10 marks)
Watch the movieContagion(2011) and answer the questions below.
Questions (adapted from Fuller 2016)
1. How did MEV-1 arise as a new viral pathogen?(1 mark)
2. What is R0? What is it for MEV-1 and why does it change in the movie?(1 mark)
3. What are the clinical features of the MEV-1 disease? Write a case description as would be released to medical facilities from the CDC as an alert about this virus (e.g. symptoms, incubation period, disease outcomes, etc.)(2 marks)
4. What are the modes of transmission of this pathogen? Give as many as you can using specific examples of characters from the movie.(1 mark)
5. How did MEV-1 become a pandemic?(1 mark)
6. What are some of the economical and societal impacts illustrated in the movie of the virus infection on normal life processes, community life and city life? Do you think these are realistic? Why or why not? You may choose to reflect on the current COVID pandemic to answer this question.(4 marks)
Presentation, spelling and grammar (3 marks)
Please use size 12 font and 1.5 line spacing. Use subheadings for each Assignment Part and number each answer accordingly. Marks will be deducted for spelling, grammar or typographical errors. Marks will also be deducted for overly long answers or answers lacking sufficient detail.
Referencing (2 marks)
Please use Harvard Style to cite the articles/movie and any other sources used to support your answers.