Epidemiologic Approach to Establish Risk Ranking of the Facility and Food Sources of Campylobacter Food Poisoning

Abstract

In this study, the risk ranking of the facility and food sources of Campylobacter food poisoning was established based on the mean number of outbreaks and patients, the coefficient of variation, and the size of the 95^th percentile value. Also, the facility and food sources were divided into four groups based on the result of the scatter diagram of the mean and the coefficient of variation.
The facilities with frequent health hazard occurrence such as restaurants, inns and hotels, and cooking class facilities, for example, school and community centers, and household, in this order, should be prioritized in risk management. Restaurants formed the most frequent group.
The facility sources providing meals to places such as schools and nurseries, caterers and lunch venders, inns and hotels, in this order, formed the group with the largest scale of health hazards.
The food sources such as chicken (raw food), meat (raw food), chicken (cooked processed products), and meat (cooked processed products), in this order, formed the group with the highest frequency of health hazards.
The food sources such as usable water, chopped fish, shellfish, vegetables with sauce salad, boxed lunch, and combined cooked products formed the group with the largest scale of health hazards.
The food sources in restaurant with the highest frequency of health hazards were chicken (raw food), meat (raw food), meat (cooked processed products), and chicken (cooked processed products), in this order. Chicken and meat (raw food) formed 73.5% of the causes.
These results would contribute to establish the priorities in risk management of Campylobacter food poisoning and specify which facilities and food groups should take steps toward establishing risk management.