An Outbreak of Food Poisoning in a Military Establishment

BackgroundAn outbreak of food poisoning in a military establishment mess was investigated and remedial measures suggested.MethodsA total of 391 persons had consumed meals in the mess on the day of the outbreak. A detailed food history was taken from available persons and the attack rates of each specific food items were calculated with the relative risks.ResultsOf the 391 persons who had consumed meals at the mess, 123 were affected giving an overall attack rate of 31.5%. Majority of the cases had loose motions, fever, pain abdomen and vomiting. The maximum attack rate (65.1%) was for those who had eaten chicken preparation. The relative risk was also highest for those who had eaten chicken at lunch on the day of the outbreak (RR — 33.21, 95% CI 8.39 to 131.53). The mean incubation period was 19.73 hours (range 6 – 57 hours). The median incubation period was 18 hours. Bacteriological confirmation was not successful.ConclusionThe chicken dish was the epidemiologically incriminating food item responsible for the outbreak. Clinical and epidemiological features were suggestive of salmonella food poisoning. However, same could not be confirmed bacteriologically.