Food Safety Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Food Safety Management - Essay Example Botulism intoxication can result in death, which most often is caused by respiratory failure. The latent period is typically 12-36 hours but can range from 6 hours to 10 days. Stringent hygienic procedures while cooking and canning are recommended for keeping the disease at bay. In this case of food-borne botulism was termed as a clinically compatible illness in a village resident after laboratory confirmation of botulism or a history of eating the same food as previous botulism cases. It was found that 14 persons in the village had eaten fermented beaver tail and paw on January 17. Almost 20 hours after consuming these items, three of the 14 people developed symptoms suggestive of botulism, including dry mouth, blurry vision, and general weakness. Two patients developed respiratory failure and required intubations and mechanical ventilation. Two patients recovered without any further complication. The third one required tracheotomy tube placement and mechanical ventilation for one month. This patient had also been hospitalized with botulism in 1997. Of the other 11 infected persons, four reported minor symptoms compatible with botulism, including dry mouth and nausea, and were admitted to a hospital for overnight observation. One of them was hospitalized for 10 days with persistent ileus. The remaining seven were kept under observation for 48 hours. The clinical specimens from the 14 infected persons were tested... Six hours after the onset of symptoms, the three patients were administered with A/B and E botulism antitoxin. Two patients recovered without any further complication. The third one required tracheotomy tube placement and mechanical ventilation for one month. This patient had also been hospitalized with botulism in 1997. Of the other 11 infected persons, four reported minor symptoms compatible with botulism, including dry mouth and nausea, and were admitted to a hospital for overnight observation. One of them was hospitalized for 10 days with persistent ileus. The remaining seven were kept under observation for 48 hours. The clinical specimens from the 14 infected persons were tested for botulinum toxin at CDC. Type E toxin was detected in serum specimens from two of the ICU patients and in stool from the third. Despite minor symptoms, the other 11 persons had no toxin found in specimens and were not considered laboratory-confirmed cases. The same toxin was also found in the three beaver paws tested from the implicated meal. Beaver is hunted in southwest Alaska, and certain parts are often fermented and are eaten later. In this outbreak, the tail and paws had been wrapped in a paper rice sack and had been stored for up to three months in a patient's house before consumption. Some of the beaver tail and paw had been added to the sack as recently as 1 week before it was eaten. The severity of the case was low. The number of people infected was less and proper treatment was immediately administered to them. Out of the the 14 infected persons only three had to be hospitalized, rest eleven were discharged after being kept under observation for 48 hours. There were no causalities in the outbreak and it was brought under control in