Abstract:

Objective To understand the patterns and characteristics of public health emergencies arising from food poisoning in Chongqing Municipality so as to provide a scientific basis for promoting effective prevention and control of similar events. Methods The related data on the public health emergencies caused by from food poisoning reported in Chongqing were collected from January 2010 to December 2022 via the subsystem of Public Health Emergency Management under the Information System for Disease Prevention and Control in China, and descriptively analyzed pertinent to the epidemiological characteristics, including the time, places and pathogenic factors of the events. Results One hundred and sixteen events of food poisoning were reported in Chongqing from 2010 to 2022, which affected 3 415 people and resulted in 22 deaths. Food poisoning caused by bacteria was most seen (59 events, 50.86%), and affected most people (2 494 cases, 73.03%). Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella were the major pathogenic bacteria in the incidents, and responsible for 41 events and 1 720 cases of the food poisoning, respectively accounting for 69.49% and 68.97% of the bacterial food poisoning. Food poisoning caused by fungi led to the highest number of deaths (10 cases, 45.45%), all of the deaths were resulted from accidental ingestion of poisonous mushrooms. The peak of food poisoning incidents in Chongqing chiefly appeared in May and September, during which period 40 incidents (34.48%) were reported, with 1 378 poisoning cases (40.35%) involved. From 2010 to 2022, the top three districts (counties) in Chongqing with the incidents reported were Jiulongpo District (13 events), Changshou District (12 events) and Qianjiang District (8 events). Sixty-eight events (58.62%) of food poisoning in rural areas in Chongqing were reported from 2010 to 2022, which involved 1 831 people (53.62%). The incidents primarily occurred in households, with 39 events reported. Forty-eight (41.38%) incidents of food poisoning were reported in urban areas, which affected 1 584 people (46.38%). The incidents largely occurred in business providing catering services, with 27 events. All 22 deaths from food poisoning occurred in rural households. Conclusion In the summer and autumn when food poisoning is high, monitoring over the food safety should be intensified in key areas besides provision of education on food safety and health, improving the ability to recognize native common toxic chemicals, differentiate poisonous plants and mushrooms in local residents so as to prevent food poisoning incidents.

Key words: Public health emergency, Food poisoning, Epidemiological characteristic, Chongqing Municipality