Environmental health Epidemiology - Assignment Example

Environmental Health Epidemiology Environmental Health Epidemiology The infectious agent in this case is Shigella. In regard to microbial classification, Shigella falls under the bacterial class of infectious microbes. According to research conducted by Blostein (1991), the incubation period of Shigella bacteria is two days.Other potential sources of infection in the Shigellosis outbreak could have been overcrowding in the park. Alternatively, the outbreak could have been as a result of poor personal hygiene of park visitors or consumption of contaminated food sold within the park.

The other study design that could have been utilized in assessing infection and identifying its potential sources is the case-case study, also referred to as the case-case comparison. Just like the name of the design suggests, the design involves comparing different cases of the same infection. In examination of the Shigellosis infection, several cases in the outbreak would have been compared with other infected individuals not related to this outbreak. This study design would have made it possible to investigate the infectious disease within the context of an extant surveillance system, since it compares prior infections and their causes, with the current cases in the Shigellosis outbreak.

One of the principal advantages, of questioning the people that were not ill, is that it provided a basis for identifying the symptoms of Shigellosis through comparing the sick to the healthy. The healthy participants also allowed for distinction of findings from those resulting from other factors. Questioning these individuals also formed a basis of avoiding bias in the study. Examining healthy persons could have been disadvantageous in the sense that their selection could have been prejudiced.

Further, it would have been difficult to determine if they were infected, especially if the disease was still in the incubation phase.The case-control study design primarily involved young participants, who were incapable of providing responses to some of the crucial research questions. The design was also vulnerable to selection bias, especially in choosing the control group. The age limitation could have been overcome through selection of an older cohort of participants, while bias would have been avoided through selecting the control group independent of exposure to research status.

Bias could also have been avoided through selection of controls representative of the populace from which they were chosen.Potential measures of mitigating Shigellosis infection would include educating park visitors on the significance of sustaining hygiene, both at a personal and public level. It would also be important for the park’s administration to implement practical measures of maintaining cleanliness and ensuring that water remains free of contaminants. „ReferenceBlostein, J. (1991).

Shigellosis from swimming in a park pond in Michigan. Public Health Rep. 106:317-322