1513Foodborne Outbreak in the Central Prison, Amanat Al-Asimah, Yemen-October, 2020

Abstract

Abstract Background Foodborne diseases continuous to be one of important health problem in Yemen. On October 9, 2020, the surveillance officer in Amanat Al-Asimah reported increased number of diarrhea cases in the prison. On October 10, 2020, team from Y-FETP was sent to determine the magnitude of the outbreak, identify risk factors and recommend control measures. Methods Descriptive and case control study with a ratio of (1: 1) was conducted. Case defined as any person in prison developed of diarrhea or vomiting/nausea or abdominal cramps from 1st-15th October. Control defined as: any person in prison not developed of diarrhea or vomiting or any symptoms. Data was collected by using prepared line list and multivariable logistic analysis used for identifying risk factors. Results A total of fifty-one cases met the case definition. All cases were males with the mean of age (31.3±3.06). Al-Qala’ah ward was the most affected area (AR 5.7/100) and none of the cases died. The implicated food items were: tomato sauce (OR 4.92: CI 2.11-11.49) and potato sauce (OR 5.68: CI 2.29-14.07). Tanks were open and in bad condition and handling of food were poor. Laboratory results of examined food and water samples revealed Shigella flxneri sero type II and coliform growth and Staph. aurous were isolated from nasal of 3 cookers. Conclusions The foodborne outbreak in prison was associated with eating contaminated food in main restaurants. Monitoring of food consumed, rigorous implementation of food handling instructions and health education of handlers, and periodic inspection of water tanks in prisons are recommended. Key messages Highlight the importance of foodborne illness which leads to a negative impact on affected people loss of work, medical costs, long-term disability, and even death.in addition to bad impact on the economy especially in a poor country such as Yemen which has lacked awareness of the foodborne illness and doesn't have any surveillance system and regulation