Characteristics of Gastroenteritis Outbreaks Investigated in Singapore: 2018–2021

Muhd Tarmidzi Fua’di, Benjamin Er, Sylvester Lee, Pei Pei Chan, Joanna Khoo, Desmond Tan, Huilin Li, Imran Roshan Muhammad, Pream Raj, Lalitha Kurupatham, Vernon Lee, Li Kiang Tan, Joanne Sheot Harn Chan, Angela Li and Kyaw Thu Aung ()
Additional contact information
Muhd Tarmidzi Fua’di: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Benjamin Er: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Sylvester Lee: Communicable Disease Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore 169854, Singapore
Pei Pei Chan: Communicable Disease Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore 169854, Singapore
Joanna Khoo: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Desmond Tan: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Huilin Li: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Imran Roshan Muhammad: Communicable Disease Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore 169854, Singapore
Pream Raj: Communicable Disease Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore 169854, Singapore
Lalitha Kurupatham: Communicable Disease Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore 169854, Singapore
Vernon Lee: Communicable Disease Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore 169854, Singapore
Li Kiang Tan: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Joanne Sheot Harn Chan: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Angela Li: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore
Kyaw Thu Aung: National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, 7 International Business Park, Techquest, Singapore 609919, Singapore

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: There is a need to study the characteristics of outbreaks via Singapore’s outbreak surveillance system to understand and identify the gaps in food safety for targeted policy interventions due to the increasing trend in gastroenteritis outbreaks and consequential increase in foodborne-related deaths and economic burden on public health systems worldwide. A total of 171 gastroenteritis outbreaks were investigated in Singapore from January 2018 to December 2021. This study analyzed the annual trend of investigated gastroenteritis outbreaks, the proportion of outbreaks by implicated sources of food, and the proportion of the type of pathogens identified from human cases, food samples, and environmental swabs collected from outbreak investigations. Among the foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks (n = 121) investigated in Singapore, approximately 42.1% of the outbreaks had food prepared by caterers, 14.9% by restaurants, and 12.4% had food prepared by in-house kitchens. Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella were the most common causative pathogens in foodborne outbreaks throughout the analysis period. The food samples and environmental swabs collected were mostly detected for Bacillus cereus . Norovirus was the most common causative pathogen in non-foodborne outbreaks and was mainly attributable to preschools. This highlights the importance of monitoring and educating the catering industry and preschools to prevent future outbreaks.

Keywords: gastroenteritis outbreaks; foodborne pathogens; sources of food; viral; norovirus; bacterial; C. perfringens; Salmonella; caterers; preschools (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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