GI infections Flashcards
Who is at risk of developing a GI infection?
People who cannot practice good hygiene, extremes of age, food handlers, health care workers
How is it transmitted?
Faecal-oral transmission - contaminated food/water/hand
Person to person spread via handshaking or fomites
Incubation period?
Short - can be 6 hours- 10 days
Usually around 2-5 days
Sporadic or outbreaks?
Usually sporadic but there can be outbreaks of food poisoning
What kind of agents cause GI infections?
Salmonella, campylbacter, norovirus, rotavirus, giardia, shigella, listeria, cryptosporidium
What is the first step in public health management?
Find the source
Questionnaire of exposures in last 10 days and decide on most likely source
How do you stop the spread?
Identify any contacts and identify any at risk groups based on likely exposure
How can they be prevented?
Personal hygiene, food hygiene, isolate cases for 48 hours or if high risk 2 negative stool samples
