JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

On June 18, 2017, the public health service was alerted about 43 suspected students in Training Institute in Rabat admitted in emergency room for acute gastroenteritis following an uptake of meal a day before.

Objective:

Therefore, we investigated this foodborne disease outbreak by confirming the outbreak, identifying the source of contamination and recommending control measures

Methods:

We conducted a case-control study. Cases and controls were selected in the ratio of 1:1. We defined a case as any members of the Training Institute, who attended the Institute's restaurant and who had presented, in the week end of June 16th to June 20th 2017, with symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting with at least one of the following signs: abdominal pain, fever, headache, nausea, and dizziness. A control was defined as anyone who attended the Institute's restaurant but had not presented any symptoms from June 16th to 20th 2017. We conducted bivariate and multivariable. Stools of ill students were collected and food specimen was collected for bacterial testing.

Results:

Among the 100 students who were interviewed, we identified 50 cases. Among cases, males were predominant (86%); the median age was 21 years. A total of 47 cases sought medical care. There were no hospitalizations and/or deaths. The episode was short with an estimated average incubation period of 9 hours. The epidemic curve oriented towards a common source of contamination. Among food items, “Briwates” were strongly associated with the illness with an odd ratio of 14.23 (5.04 - 40.04).Laboratory testing of “Briwates” found E.Coli O157 and Staphylococcus aureus.

Conclusions:

This foodborne disease outbreak was likely caused through food poisoning by briwates which was contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and E coli. We recommended strengthening hygiene measures. Food handling techniques should be taught as part of continuous professional development for food handlers.