Food Poisoning Outbreak Investigation Report at a Wedding Ceremony, Khuan Don District, Satun Province, January 2025

Abstract

On January 18, 2025, the Epidemiology Department of Khuan Don Hospital was notified by the emergency room that several patients were admitted with symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea. They provided information that they had eaten food from a wedding ceremony on January 18, 2025 at approximately 11:00 a.m., in Khuan Don District, Satun Province. Therefore, disease investigation and control measures were being carried out to confirm the outbreak, study the distribution patterns and factors that cause of the disease, and find measures to prevent the disease. This study was a descriptive epidemiological study collecting data from medical records, interviews of patients and additional patient searches, as defined as follows: Those who ate food from the wedding ceremony, and had any of the following symptoms: loose stools, watery stools, bloody stools, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever between January 18 and 24, 2025. An Analytical epidemiological study using case-control study, collecting samples for laboratory examination and studying the environment were carried out. There were 245 cases of food poisoning with no deaths. approximately 1,000 people attended the ceremony. The most
common symptom was diarrhea (90.20%). The median incubation period was 7 hours. The food at risk was spicy clams salad with coconut milk. An epidemiological analysis study found that those who ate them had a 576-fold higher risk of food poisoning than those who did not. (Odds ratio=576, 95% CI: 77.93-4,257, p<0.05. Laboratory test results found vibrio parahaemolyticus in 11 rectal swab samples and 2 fresh stool samples. This food poisoning outbreak was characterized by a common source of disease. Disease prevention measures include providing food hygiene advice to food handlers and related personnel, informing people in the area about the outbreaks, and establishing ongoing guidelines for behaviors that reduce the risk of disease.