Analysis On The Investigation And Control Of An Epidemic Outbreak Of Bacillary Dysentery

Objectives: This study was conducted to get an insight into the cause of theoutbreak of infectious diarrhea and evaluate the measures for the control of theoutbreak of epidemic.Methods: The outbreak was investigated through field epidemiology that now isprevailing overseas in dealing with public health events. One hundred and eight casesof diarrhea occurring from Jun. 3 to Jun 24, 2005 in a town were investigated withsome normal individuals as control population. In the town, we examine healthenvironment, ask dwellers whether they drink unboiled water and dine together inrecent time, enquire patients clinical symptom, search patients logbooks, medicalrecords. From these, we confirm case definition of bacillary dysentery, adoptcase-comparison study, then we check flow pipes to find out whether they are brokenor not. At the some time biological samples from drinking water and patients weredetected for bacteriological indices.Results: It was found that the diarrhea outbreak was caused by constant wastercontamination of drinking water sources. Shigella flexneri 3a was the causative factor.The epidemics were controlled through comprehensive prevention and therapeuticmeasures such as the control of the contamination sources, disinfection of drinkingwater, standardization of the purification and promotion and education.Conclusion: Drinking water in rural areas should be protected against wastercontamination. Water quality surveillance should be reinforced in the period of whichintestinal infectious disease is easy to happen.