Population
The Salmonella outbreak became a public health concern in the mid-1980s in the Caribbean. In particular, the pathogen caused diarrhea in both the local population and tourists.
One of the most important behavioral determinants is eating raw or undercooked eggs. The odds ratio of the occurrence of the disease, in this case, is the highest among other behavioral practices. Notably that “the implicated food items correlated with the predominance of cases in December and January as many of these foods are consumed more frequently in the holiday season” (Stehr-Green, 2004, p. 9). Living in close proximity to unsanitary farms is also an important social determinant. In particular, the food safety officer identified several farms with unsanitary conditions where Salmonella samples were more common in products. Thus, people who consume eggs from these farms are more susceptible to Salmonella infection (Cardoso et al., 2021). Finally, in a laboratory study of eggs, it was revealed that “Salmonella was detected more often in shell cultures (4.6% of samples) than in content cultures (1.2% of samples)” (Stehr-Green, 2004, p. 10). This aspect identifies that eating eggs with shells or not washing eggs before eating is an important behavioral determinant of infection.
The main disparity regarding the current health issue is the imperfect reporting system in the affected countries. In particular, many healthcare professionals needed additional training for Salmonella detection and laboratory testing. Among the measures to prevent and control the disease, the need to increase the level of education of the population is indicated. Insufficient awareness of the population about the methods of spreading the infection is an important disparity factor. Additionally, not all farms have access to clean water and sufficient sanitation measures. This factor is also of key importance and acts as an aspect of disparity.
The identified determinants are directly related to the defined disparities, as they allow researchers to describe the risk factors for Salmonella infection. In particular, they include insufficient qualification of healthcare professionals in the diagnosis of the disease and an underdeveloped reporting system. One of the most significant factors is the low level of education of the population about the existing risk factors of infection. In particular, behavioral determinants identify that the greatest chance of infection is present in groups that consume raw eggs and pay insufficient attention to washing them. Additionally, the inability to provide sanitary conditions on farms as a disparity factor leads to an increased risk of infection, which is a determinant.
Health Issue
From the study of the population affected by the health issue, it is possible to identify connections between social and behavioral patterns and the conditions for the spread of the infection. In particular, inadequate sanitary conditions, lack of attention to hygiene, low awareness of the problem, and an underdeveloped reporting system contribute to the development of an outbreak. These aspects combined make certain groups at greater risk of Salmonella infection in particular regions. Consideration of the public health issue made it possible to better understand the patterns of the spread of the disease and identify measures to control it. In particular, sanitary conditions on farms, as well as individual behavioral patterns, have been found to be major determinants of the spread of infection. Thus, the Salmonella outbreak is the result of inadequate hygiene and poor sanitation, which is the most significant pattern of infection transmission and outbreaks.
Reference
Cardoso, M. J., Nicolau, A. I., Borda, D., Nielsen, L., Maia, R.L., Møretrø, T., Ferreira, V., Knøchel, S., Langsrud, S., & Teixeira, P. (2021). Salmonella in eggs: From shopping to consumption—A review providing an evidence-based analysis of risk factors. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20, 2716-2741. Web.
Stehr-Green, J. K. (2004). Salmonella in the Caribbean. Case study.