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Foodborne illness among factory workers, Gweru, Zimbabwe, 2012: a retrospective cohort study

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Research Notes, September 2015
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Title
Foodborne illness among factory workers, Gweru, Zimbabwe, 2012: a retrospective cohort study
Published in
BMC Research Notes, September 2015
DOI 10.1186/s13104-015-1512-2
Pubmed ID
Authors

Meggie Gabida, Notion T. Gombe, Milton Chemhuru, Lucia Takundwa, Donewell Bangure, Mufuta Tshimanga

Abstract

On the 20th September 2012 the Gweru district medical officer (DMO) reported a sudden increase in the number of factory workers complaining of symptoms suggestive of gastrointestinal illness. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine factors associated with illness among factory workers. A retrospective cohort study was conducted from September to October 2012 among 98 randomly selected factory workers. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used to evaluate possible risk factors from which food attack rates, relative risks (RR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were calculated using Epi info version 3.5.1. Bacteriological examination of food samples was performed. In addition rectal swabs and specimens from food handlers and patients were collected for analysis. Of the 98 workers interviewed, 87/98 (89 %) were males. Consumption of beef stew (AOR = 9.28, 95 % CI 2.78-30.91) was independently associated with foodborne illness. Klebsiella spp. were isolated from beef stew and stool specimen of patients. Watery diarrhoea 51/98 (52 %), fatigue 48/98 (49 %) and abdominal cramps 41/98 (42 %) were the most presenting symptoms. Klebsiella spp. was the aetiological agent for the food borne illness at the factory and this resulted from consumption of contaminated beef stew by the workers. As a result of this evidence, the implicated beef was withdrawn from the canteen and the menu cycle was revised to minimise exposure to the same food. Food handlers training in food safety and hygiene and regular canteen inspections for quality assurance were recommended and adopted. No further food borne illness has been reported from the factory.

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Mendeley readers

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Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 50 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 7 14%
Researcher 7 14%
Student > Master 7 14%
Student > Bachelor 3 6%
Student > Doctoral Student 1 2%
Other 4 8%
Unknown 21 42%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 9 18%
Medicine and Dentistry 5 10%
Nursing and Health Professions 3 6%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 2 4%
Environmental Science 2 4%
Other 6 12%
Unknown 23 46%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 01 October 2015.
All research outputs
#20,293,238
of 22,829,683 outputs
Outputs from BMC Research Notes
#3,559
of 4,263 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#230,174
of 274,379 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Research Notes
#141
of 185 outputs
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