Abstract:

Objective To analyze the features of foodborne disease outbreaks in school campus in Gansu Province for recommendations in scientific prevention and control of such incident in schools. Methods The data on foodborne disease outbreaks in schools in Gansu Province from 2010 to 2022 were initially retrieved through the Food Safety Risk Assessment Business Application Platform of National Health Insurance Information Project, and descriptively analyzed regarding the distribution of time and region, school types, pathogenic factors, and sources of pathogenic food, etc. Results A total of 57 outbreaks of foodborne diseases, involved in 1 002 cases, in schools were reported in Gansu Province from 2010 to 2022. Four hundred and seventy-one cases were treated on hospitalization basis. No death occurred. The highest number of reported events was in 2020 (9 events, 15.79%), followed by 2016 (8 events, 14.04%). The peak period of the incidents reported was seen in June and September (12 respectively for June and September, 21.05%). The top three regions with the highest number of reported incidents were Longnan City (11 events, 19.30%), Baiyin City (10 events, 17.54%), and Qingyang City (8 events, 14.04%). The top three regions with the highest reported cases were Lanzhou City (343 cases, 34.23%), Qingyang City (149 cases, 14.87%) and Longnan City (145 cases, 14.47%). The highest number of reported events and cases were seen in middle school campuses, with 21 reported events (36.84%) and 263 reported cases (26.25%), respectively. Pathogenic factors were identified in 15 events, which were primarily caused by pathogenic microorganisms (60.00%, 9/15). Association of the outbreak was identified in 21 incidents, in which food circulation was responsible for the highest proportion of incidents (47.62%, 10/21). The main source of pathogenic food was from school canteens (66.07%, 37/56). The food categories were mainly foods with mixed ingredients or various foods (33.33%, 19/57). Biological, food samples and environmental samples were collected in 10 incidents, and the identification rate of pathogenic factors was 60.00% (6/10). The 3 samples were not collected in 32 events, in which the pathogenic factor identification rate was 15.63% (5/32). Conclusion In recent years, the number of outbreaks of foodborne diseases in schools in Gansu Province has remained relatively stable. The peak periods of the incidents are in June and September. School canteens are the major source of pathogenic food. In the future, we should further strengthen collaboration among multiple sections in order to jointly manage and reduce the risk of foodborne disease outbreaks in schools.

Key words: Foodborne disease, School, Outbreaks, Gansu Province