Costs to affected individuals following an outbreak of food poisoning: a pilot study.

This small pilot study surveyed the victims of an outbreak of food poisoning, in order to investigate the personal consequences which they suffered so as to identify costs, which are often ignored in economic analyses. A response rate of 88% was achieved. The results showed that an average of 10.5 days of illness was suffered by the affected individuals and there was a marked variation in the number of days of work missed. Housewives were identified as a group whose personal consequences are often omitted from economic studies and a variety of other costs were identified. The results should be borne in mind when undertaking future economic studies of food poisoning.