Gunaratnam Praveena, Furlong Catriona, Hope Kirsty, Gupta Leena, Shadbolt Craig, Shields John, McCarthy Rodney, Boyd Rowena, Huhtinen Essi, Norton Sophie, Torvaldsen Siranda
New South Wales Public Health Officer Training Program, NSW Health, Sydney, Australia . ; School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia .
Western Pac Surveill Response J. 2012 May 29;3(2):10-5. doi: 10.5365/WPSAR.2012.3.1.008. Print 2012 Apr.
In May 2011, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred among guests attending two functions (Function A and B) at a local function centre in Sydney, Australia. The Sydney South West Public Health Unit and the New South Wales (NSW) Food Authority sought to determine the cause of the outbreak and implement control measures.
A retrospective cohort study was planned. A complete guest list was unavailable, so guests who could be contacted were asked to provide details of other guests. Attendee demographics, symptom profile and food histories were obtained using a standard response questionnaire. Stool samples were requested from symptomatic guests. The NSW Food Authority conducted a site inspection.
Of those interviewed, 73% of Function A guests and 62% of Function B guests were ill, with mean incubation times of 27 and 23 hours respectively. Diarrhoea was the most common symptom. Three stool samples and four environmental swabs were positive for norovirus. One food handler reported feeling ill before and during the functions. A prohibition order was used to stop food handlers implicated in the outbreak from preparing food.
This outbreak strongly suggests transmission of norovirus, possibly caused by an infected food handler. Regulatory measures such as prohibition orders can be effective in enforcing infection control standards and minimising ongoing public health risk.
2011年5月，澳大利亚悉尼一家当地活动中心举办的两场活动（活动A和活动B）的宾客中爆发了急性肠胃炎。悉尼西南公共卫生部门和新南威尔士州食品管理局试图确定疫情爆发的原因并实施控制措施。
计划开展一项回顾性队列研究。由于没有完整的宾客名单，因此要求能够联系到的宾客提供其他宾客的详细信息。使用标准调查问卷获取参会者的人口统计学信息、症状概况和饮食史。要求出现症状的宾客提供粪便样本。新南威尔士州食品管理局进行了现场检查。
在接受采访的人中，活动A的宾客中有73%患病，活动B的宾客中有62%患病，平均潜伏期分别为27小时和23小时。腹泻是最常见的症状。三份粪便样本和四份环境拭子检测出诺如病毒呈阳性。一名食品处理人员报告在活动前和活动期间感觉不适。下达了禁止令，阻止与疫情爆发有关的食品处理人员准备食物。
此次疫情强烈表明诺如病毒的传播，可能是由一名受感染的食品处理人员引起的。禁止令等监管措施在执行感染控制标准和将持续的公共卫生风险降至最低方面可能是有效的。
