Mission Possible: The Case of the Potluck Poisoning A Food-Borne Illness (FBI) Scenario
Your Mission Your mission is to solve the Case of the Potluck Poisoning, a Food Borne Illness scenario by: Using this presentation Filling out medical forms Exploring the Health Informatics Occupations Deciding from the facts what caused the Potluck Poisoning
Health Informatics Occupations These occupations collect, manage, organize, and analyze information in the Health Care field. These occupations require computer technology skills and knowledge of health care and office software.
You Will Be Exploring These Occupations... The Admitting Clerk who records the patient s personal and insurance information The Epidemiologist who collects all the facts and solves the case
The Community Potluck Was Organized By Four Individuals: Molly is a local housewife who runs a day care center. Mike runs the town s meat packing plant. Abram is the manager of the Roto Rooter Fertilizer plant. John is a hard-working local dairy farmer.
Activity #1 Worksheet: Identify the Four Contributors To The Potluck Dinner Describe the people as you watch the presentation Match the people to the pictures that represent their part in this scenario by writing the LETTER of the person in the square to the left of the picture Use the Activity #1 Worksheet Use the next four slides to find the answers.
Molly She is a local housewife who runs a day care center for nine children approximately 1-8 years old. She was asked to cook 15 hams. The day of the banquet, she and three of her older daycare children spent most of the day preparing the hams in her kitchen. She also has a soft spot for birds and cats; you are told she has 4 birds and 12 cats.
Mike He runs the town s meat packing plant. He and his wife donated 150 pounds of beef and pork, which, when you arrive, are being cooked over several open pit barbeques. Several kids, ages 5-9, are playing near some of the uncovered meat. You also note several flies camping on the beef and a nopest strip hanging close by.
Abram He is the manager of the Roto Rooter Fertilizer Plant in the state s capital, about 29 miles away. He has been ill recently and only helped mix the salad after nobody else would volunteer to do it. Symptoms of his recent illness include double vision, diarrhea, high fever, and skin lesions. He feels fine now.
John He is a hard-working local dairy farmer who has been asked to bring 200 gallons of red fruit punch. Lacking anything else to bring the punch in, he uses several of his milk cans. The milk cans have just recently been repaired after several years of use.
The Case of the Potluck Poisoning It could happen anywhere... On the evening of September 23, at approximately 8:30 p.m., your phone rings. Upon answering, a nurse from your local hospital frantically tells you of some 95 people who are, as she describes it, lying all over the place. They are vomiting, they have diarrhea, and some are in such pain that they won t even move from the hallways of the hospital and the front lawn of the community center.
The Community Potluck Dinner From what you can gather at the emergency room, there was a community potluck dinner, which was attended by some 350 people. The dinner began at 8:00 p.m. The first sick patients began arriving at the hospital around 8:25 p.m. It is time to explore two occupations to help you solve the case...
Gather Information from the Patients To Admit Them into the Hospital As the Admitting Clerk of the hospital, you are responsible to get personal and medical insurance information from all patients Family members begin to arrive and you get information from them.
Activity #2: Patient Record Fill out the Patient Record Worksheet (Activity 2) in Microsoft Excel. You should make up your information about your age, if you are married, phone number, etc. When you are done, print the sheet, then sign your name and date it. Finish this activity before going on to the next slide.
To Continue... The ambulance driver begins to talk about a community potluck dinner where several hundred people are in attendance. He says that more people will probably be coming. Going in through the side door, you meet six other victims experiencing similar symptoms. We are informed by Environmental Health Services that this seems to be a larger than normal outbreak and they have called an Epidemiologist.
The Epidemiologist Arrives: It is only 20 minutes later when the Epidemiologist arrives at the hospital. In the ensuing time, an additional 20 individuals have arrived - all with similar symptoms. The Epidemiologist begins to collect information by setting up her laptop computer and using the latest version of the EPI Info web site. In the meantime, three Environmental Health Specialists are sent to the dinner to collect food samples, which are transported to the public health laboratory at the hospital.
To Be Continued... The Epidemiologist begins to piece together a story from the sick people, which involves: People at a community dinner become sick displaying nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe headache, but no fever. The Environmental Specialists collect the containers the food and drink were served in. By early the next morning, several patients are ready to be interviewed. The Epidemiologist interviews people who brought the food and drink.
Activity #3 Epidemiologist Chart Open the Microsoft Excel worksheet called Activity 3 Epidemiologist Chart, and complete the chart. As you enter 1 for what the five people ate, the totals at the bottom of the chart are filled in. You need to then analyze the numbers. Studying the percentages (%) will reveal what food item made the people sick. Finish this activity before going on to the next slide.
Activity #3 Epidemiologist Chart On the spreadsheet, you will see the following information for five people who ate at the community dinner. Enter it into the spreadsheet. TANNER - Did not get sick. He ate the ham and salad. He drank water only. He is on a diet and is limiting his sugar intake. ANA - Did get sick. She ate the ham, salad, and drank the fruit punch. MEGAN - Did get sick. She ate salad and had the fruit punch. JIM - Did get sick. He ate the ham, salad, and drank the fruit punch. BRIANN - Did not get sick. She ate the salad and drank water. Finish this activity before going on to the next slide.
There Are Many Reasons Why People Get Sick Viruses and bacteria may cause infections likes strep throat and influenza (flu). Some bacteria and viruses can live in food causing food-borne illnesses like salmonella and hepatitis A. Exposure to excessive amounts of chemicals or chemical elements (also called minerals) can cause illness such as heavy metal poisoning from lead or cadmium.
Activity # 4: Classify Illnesses Fill out the Activity # 4 Classify Illnesses worksheet as you learn more about five illnesses. Record the cause of each illness Record the time it takes to get sick Record what happens to the patient This information will help you solve the case Use the next four slides to find the answers
E. coli Cause of the illness: eating contaminated water or food especially raw vegetables/fruit, undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk, restaurant meals, personal contact Time for symptoms to occur: 3-4 days after exposure. Symptoms are: severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting No current treatments can cure the infection, relieve symptoms, or prevent complications. The best option is to rest and drink plenty of fluids to help with dehydration and fatigue.
Hepatitis A Cause of the illness: Is a viral infection that causes liver damage. This particular virus is transmitted by food or water that has been contaminated with feces from an infected person. This obviously means you should always wash your hands after going to the bathroom AND before handling food. Time for symptoms to occur is within two to four weeks. The symptoms include jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. There is no treatment for Hepatitis A.
Salmonella Cause of the illness: This is a bacterial infection that may occur after eating contaminated food such as raw chicken or raw eggs. Some animals, such as reptiles, baby chicks, and baby ducks, may also carry salmonella and pass it in their feces. Cats and dogs can also carry salmonella in their feces as well. Time for symptoms to occur: They begin one to three days after the infection. Salmonella infection causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain.
Lead Poisoning Cause of the illness: Lead is a soft, heavy blue gray metal naturally occurring in the earth s crust. Lead used to be common in paints, and is still found in batteries, solder used for repairing metal containers, bullets, and roofing materials. It also exists in food cans that have not been soldered properly. Time for symptoms to occur: within 30 minutes to an hour. Lead poisoning can cause stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Prolonged exposure can damage the kidneys, cause mental retardation, coma, seizures, and death.
Cadmium Poisoning Cause of the illness: Cadmium is a metal, which can be very poisonous to the body. It is highly corrosion resistant and is desirable in the automotive, electronics, marine, and aerospace industries. It has also been used in soldering and in the production of metal cans. Time for symptoms to occur: within 30 minutes to an hour. If cadmium is ingested, it can immediately cause choking attacks, vomiting, abdominal pains, diarrhea, dizziness, and a loss of consciousness.
To Be Continued... Within 24 hours the first results of the food come back negative. The food items were not spoiled with bacteria. Investigation shifts to chemical or metal poisoning. The symptoms presented by the patients mimic that of heavy metals. The question is: Where did the heavy metals come from?
Activity #5: Fact Review Questions Complete Activity #5 Analyze the Information Answers are found in Activity #4 Classify Illnesses and Activity #3 The Epidemiologist Chart. As the Epidemiologist, answer the following questions to help identify what item made everyone sick and how it made them sick. Finish this activity before going on to the next slide.
Did You Solve The Case Correctly? The food-borne illness was caused by: John took the milk cans to get repaired; the repair shop used metal solder that contained lead and cadmium. Everyone who drank the fruit punch became sick within 30 minutes.
Congratulations! Next time everyone will know better than to use containers that will contaminate the food or drink they contain. Make sure when you use food containers that they are made of plastic or stainless steel any non-corrosive material.