Abstract
Background: After Campylobacter infection was reported in a contract construction worker (contractor) at a chicken processing facility, we described the illness and determined illness associations with workforce exposure. Methods: Case finding was conducted by reportable disease surveillance and contractor interviews. A case was defined as either diarrhea and fever, or diarrhea lasting ≥3 days during January-September, 2016. Results: Fourteen cases were identified among 74 contractors interviewed; four were laboratory-confirmed (two Campylobacter, two Salmonella). Cases were more likely to perform electrical work (odds ratio [OR] 10.4, P < 0.001), take breaks in unofficial areas (OR 6.4, P = 0.01), bring drinks into work areas (OR 4.2, P = 0.02), and have contact with poultry fluids (OR 6.4, P = 0.03). Only 23 (31%) contractors reported infectious disease prevention training. Conclusions: This outbreak emphasizes the importance of training contractors for all potential hazards. Host employers and staffing agencies share responsibility for contractor safety.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 175-179 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | American Journal of Industrial Medicine |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors report that there was no funding source for the work that resulted in the article or the preparation of the article. All authors, Victoria Hall, Joni Scheftel, Stacy Holzbauer, and Kirk Smith made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work, or revising it critically for important intellectual content, approved the final version to be published. All authors agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work and ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The authors would like to thank the following for their assistance with the outbreak investigation: Minnesota Department of Health: Zoonotics Disease Unit, Foodborne Disease Unit, Carlota Medus, PhD, MPH; Tory Whitten, MPH; Ella Hall, CPH; Public Health Laboratory CDC: Kris Bisgard, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, and Marie A. de Perio, MD. The authors report that there was no funding source for the work that resulted in the article or the preparation of the article. CDC Human Subjects Review 2017-00003, IRB exempt, as the outbreak described was part of routine surveillance activities, and public health outbreak response. All contractors interviewed were read the Tennessen warning and voluntarily participated. The Tennessen warning is Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13.04, Rights of Subjects of Data which gives individuals notice when collecting private or confidential information so they can make informed decisions about whether to give information about themselves to the government (further described at http://www.health.state.mn.us/irb/tennessen.html). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Rodney Ehrlich declares that he has no competing or conflicts of interest in the review and publication decision regarding this article. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Copyright:
Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Campylobacter
- Salmonella
- disease outbreaks
- occupational health
- temporary worker
