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Background: Meat safety is important for public health. As part of the meat chain abattoirs are required to give attention to meat hygiene and safety in order to minimize hazards. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate the bacteriological quality of sheep carcasses, knowledge and hygienic practices of workers in a selected abattoir and to determine the effect level of 2.5% citric acid spray on total coliforms and aerobic bacteria load of raw sheep carcasses surfaces. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with structured questionnaire and observational checklists observation were used. A systematic random sampling technique was employed. A total of 50 sample swabs (25 swabs before citric acid spray and 25 after citric acid spray) were randomly taken from brisket, flank and rump of sheep’s carcasses. Swabs were moistened with buffered peptone water (BPW) and samples were taken by rubbing 100 cm2 (10 cm × 10 cm) area delineated by sterile aluminum template. In addition, we administered a structured questionnaire and an observational checklists to assess knowledge and hygienic practices of workers. Bacteriological quality of sheep carcasses were analyzed using the methods described by the US bacteriological analytical manual. Results: The mean count for aerobic bacteria of the sheep carcasses before and after citric acid spray were 7.2log10 CFU/ml and 6.4log10 CFU/ml, respectively. The test results also showed that 21 (84%) and 15 (60%) of the swab samples were positive before and after spraying citric acid, respectively. The mean counts for coliform bacterial of the sheep carcasses before and after citric acid spray were 3.5log10 CFU/ml and 2.9log10 CFU/ml, respectively. The mean total aerobic and coliform counts before and after citric acid spray were significantly different ( P Conclusion: The current study revealed that significant proportion of sheep carcasses were positive for total aerobic bacteria and total coliform. Moreover, the study also showed that spraying of sheep carcasses with 2.5% citric acid significantly reduced the total coliform and aerobic counts. However, we did not assessed how much spray results to this effect. Therefore, we recommended further studies to determine how much spray of 2.5% citric acid significantly reduce bacterial contamination of sheep carcasses. In addition, the abattoir has to follow the food hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system to minimize meat contamination during harvesting and processing. The abattoir has to also implement strict operation laws to improve hygiene conditions of the workers. In addition, the abattoir can minimize meat contamination using 2.5% citric acid as a decontaminant.

Understanding the potential drivers of microbial meat contamination along the entire meat supply chain is needed to identify targets for interventions to reduce the number of meatborne bacterial outbreaks. We assessed the hygienic practices in cattle slaughterhouses (28 employees) and retail shops (127 employees) through face-to-face interviews and direct personal observations. At the slaughterhouses, stunning, de-hiding and evisceration in vertical position, carcass washing and separate storage of offal were the identified good practices. Lack of hot water baths, absence of a chilling room, infrequent hand washing, insufficiently trained staff and irregular medical check-up were practices that lead to unhygienic handling of carcasses. At the retail shops, cleaning equipment using soap and hot water (81%), storing unsold meat in refrigerators (92%), concrete floors and white painted walls and ceilings were good practices. Adjacently displaying offal and meat (39%), lack of a cold chain, wrapping meat with plastic bags and newspapers, using a plastic or wooden cutting board (57%), infrequent washing of equipment and floors, and inadequately trained employees were practices that could result in unhygienic handling of beef. Our study identified unhygienic practices both at the slaughterhouses and retail shops that can predispose the public to meatborne infections, which could be improved through training and implementation of quality control systems.

This study determined the relationship between contextual factors, psychosocial factors and hygienic practices of the tribes of Liberia. Data were collected from six randomly selected tribes from three regions in Liberia. Convenient, stratified and random sampling techniques were employed to survey 390 household heads who were aged 15 years and above. A correlational design was used and data gathered were analyzed utilizing inferential statistics. Majority of the respondents were males aged 40 years and above and of the middle and high income category. Regression analysis revealed self-efficacy, social environment and cognitive factors as predictors of hygienic practices in terms of disposal of wastes, while self-efficacy, cognitive, policy implementation and cultural identity predicted handwashing. Additionally, social environment, self-efficacy, physical environment, cognitive and policy implementation predicted bathing practices. Respondents who had high income, high educational attainment and of the tribes C and E had a better practice on waste disposal. Those with high income and of the tribes D and C had a better handwashing practice, while those who had high income and of the A and E ethnic groups exhibited better bathing practices.

Introduction: Infant and young child feeding have the single greatest potential impact on child nutrition and survival. The period between conception and two years is critical in a child’s life and this is when interventions to improve nutrition must be delivered. Aim: To determine the impact of a tailored intervention on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices among mothers of children under three years of age and antenatal women. Materials and Methods: An interventional study was carried out among Antenatal women, mothers of children under three years of age and influencers in a self-administration area. The calculated sample size for the primary objectives varied between 30-50. In order to give representation to at least 80% of the panchayat, all such women numbering 351 and 87 for each category from the randomly selected 12 of the 16 wards were enrolled in the study. Knowledge and practice of diet during pregnancy, antenatal check-up, breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, expressed breast milk, complementary food items, consistency and frequency of feeding, hygiene, feeding during illness, dangers of bottle feeding were assessed before intervention. After the intervention, an endline survey was conducted to assess the change in the knowledge and practice of the infant and young child feeding practices. Statistical analysis was carried out by comparison of mean, proportions before and after the study. Mc Nemar’s chi-square was done on variables with significant improvement followed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 27.42±4.53 years. There was a significant increase in knowledge with regard to initiation, exclusive breastfeeding (p≤0.01, p=0.01) and bottle feeding (p

Objectives To determine the prevalence, reasons of use, reported hygienic practices, and complications related to CLs' usage, and to assess awareness of medical students about CLs' hygienic behaviours, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional design was done. A multi-stage stratified random sampling was utilized to select 536 medical students. A validated, self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was used. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Results The prevalence of current users of CLs was 40.5%. Females reported significantly much higher prevalence of usage compared to males (OR=8.38; 95% CI:5.2-13.3). Second-year students, and those living in university dormitory had the highest prevalence of CLs usage compared to others. The commonest reason for wearing CLs was cosmetic purpose. Improper CLs-hygienic practices were reported; as exceeding the period required for renewal (45.6%), sharing lenses (16.6%), and sleeping (29.9%), swimming (24.6%) or showering (29.0%) with CLs. Only 16.6% of the participants cleaned their lenses daily. At least one CLs' related complications was reported by 30.4% of the users. Acute red eye (19.8%), conjunctivitis (18.9%), and corneal abrasion (8.3%) were the commonest CLs' complications. Conclusion A relatively high prevalence of CLs' usage was found. Participants were aware about CLs-hygienic practices. However, unhygienic CLs-related practices and complications were also reported. Provision of educational messages and training on sound CLs' hygienic practices are needed.

Background and Aim: Salmonella spp. are an important group of pathogens responsible for human and animal diseases. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify and characterize of Salmonella spp. isolated from broiler farms of Gazipur, Tangail, and Dhaka districts of Bangladesh. This study also evaluated the difference of Salmonella positivity status between two groups of farms, good practices adapted in broiler rearing at the project intervened farms, and non-project intervened traditional farms. Materials and Methods: A total of 352 samples including 128 cloacal swabs, 32 whole carcasses, 64 feed, 64 water, and 64 attendants’ hand rinses were collected through convenient sampling technique from 16 poultry food safety project of Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations Bangladesh intervened farms and other 16 non-project intervened farms in the same location. Various cultural based techniques and biochemical methods were employed for the estimation of prevalence, isolation, and identification of Salmonella spp. which was further evaluated by polymerase chain reaction. Antimicrobial susceptibility test using disk diffusion methods and serogrouping by slide agglutination test was accomplished for additional characterization. Results: Among the samples, an overall prevalence of Salmonella spp. was 31.25% (110/352) (95% confidence interval [CI]=26.44-36.38%). However, the prevalence of Salmonella spp. was 24.43% (43/176) (95% CI=18.28-31.47) in project intervened farms and 38.07% (67/176) (95% CI=30.87-45.68%) in non-intervened farms. Among the 110 isolates, 31.82% (35/110) were fitted under serogroup B, and the rest of the isolates 75 (68.18%) under serogroup D. Of 110 isolates, 82.72%, 77.27%, 81.82%, and 79.09% were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, norfloxacin, and streptomycin, respectively. In addition, 81.82% and 80% isolates were resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline, respectively. Isolated Salmonella spp. presented moderate resistance to both amoxicillin and azithromycin. Alarmingly, 80.91% (89/110) isolates were shown to be multidrug-resistant Salmonella spp. Conclusion: The study has presented a significant variation of the prevalence of Salmonella spp. between project intervened and non-project intervened farms, and this indicates project intervened farms are comparatively safer than the non-intervened farms considering public health and food safety grounds. This research outcome also has highlighted a substantial proportion of poultry origin multidrug resistance Salmonella spp. is a potential source of public health hazards. In this regard, proper awareness creation and motivational activities on good agriculture practices in poultry rearing and maintaining good personal hygiene at the farmers’ level are warranted through participatory training.

Introduction: Up until now, poor menstrual hygiene in developing countries has been an insufficiently acknowledged problem. The lack of attention to this issue is striking as we cannot achieve several Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that is, 2, 3 4,5, and5B. This study aimed to assess the level of awareness about menarche and hygienic practices during menstruation in context of schooling . Materials and Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study using a mix method approach (qualitative and quantitative). It was conducted among 650 adolescent girls in the field practice area of Rural Health and Training Centre, Chiraigaon block of district Varanasi between January and June2011. Pretested, semistructured interview schedule was used. Data were analyzed statistically by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: Out of the total 650 respondents, 590 (90.78%) had attained menarche at the time of interview and only one-third of the respondents (29.4%) were aware of menstruation before menarche and sisters (55%) played the key role in providing information to them. Only 31% respondents were using sanitary pads during menstruation. Self-reported reproductive tract infection (RTI) was observed more in respondents not maintaining hygienic practices (6.6%) as compared to those maintaining hygiene (2.6%). Conclusion and Recommendations: From the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) as well as quantitative survey it was observed that the awareness about menarche before its onset was still poor in rural areas. Significant association (P < 0.05) was observed between respondent education and their awareness about menarche before its onset. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers can play an influential role in informing them about changes during adolescence, especially about menarche and other issues related to menstruation. As per the present study, sisters and mothers were the major source of information. Therefore, there is a need for the provision of comprehensive family life education for the parents also.

Resumen Introducción: Las enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos en el hogar son consideradas una problemática nacional; sin embargo, existe poca información sobre hábitos de manipulación en el hogar. Objetivo: Determinar el conocimiento y aplicación de prácticas higiénicas en la elaboración de alimentos y auto-reporte de intoxicaciones alimentarias en hogares chilenos. Material y Métodos: Se confeccionó una encuesta de 15 preguntas en formato google docs, se consultó sobre prácticas de manipulación de alimentos en el hogar y auto-reporte de intoxicaciones alimentarias. Resultados: Se encuestó a 2.024 personas. Noventa y seis por ciento elabora alimentos en el hogar; del total que lo hace, 88% de los encuestados considera importante las buenas prácticas de manipulación de alimentos en el hogar y 76% asegura saber sobre la contaminación cruzada. Más de 40% inicia su compra en los supermercados con productos lácteos y cárnicos, generando una pérdida de cadena de frío; 56% de los encuestados indica que descongelan los alimentos a temperatura ambiente. Con respecto a frutas o verduras, sólo 12,5% utiliza un desinfectante. Del total de los que elaboran alimentos en el hogar, 17% indica haber sufrido una intoxicación alimentaria y de éstas, sólo 64% asiste al médico. Conclusión: A pesar de que se considera importante las buenas prácticas de manipulación de alimentos en el hogar, estas prácticas no son ejecutadas. Background: Foodborne diseases in the home are considered a problem at the national level, however, there is little information about household handling habits. Aim: To Identify the hygienic practices of people who prepare food at home and self-reporting food intoxication in Chilean homes. Material and Methods: A survey with 15 questions was made in google docs, containing questions about food handling practices and self-reporting food intoxication. Results: 2024 people were surveyed. Ninety six percent prepare food at home, of the total whom cook, 88% of respondents consider important good food handling practices at home, 76% say they know about the concept of cross contamination, however, more than 40% start their purchase in supermarkets with dairy and meat products which indicates that there is a high probability of cold chain loss, 56% of respondents indicate that they defrost food at room temperature, and with respect to fruits or vegetables only 12.5% use a disinfectant. Of the total number of respondents, 17% indicated that they had suffered food poisoning and of these only 64% attended the doctor. Conclusion: Although it is argued to have knowledge about good food handling practices, some important practices are not carried out.

Meat handlers play major role in food borne diseases transmission as well as to ensure safety of meat and its products. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 91 meat handlers by using structured questionnaire to determine the food safety knowledge, attitude and practices in abattoir and retail meat shops of Jigjiga Town. The result shows that majority of the meat handlers were illiterate (30.8%) and primary school leaver (52.7%), and no one went through any food safety training except one meat inspector. The food-handlers’ knowledge and safety practices were below acceptable level with the mean score of 13.12±2.33 and 7.7±2.1 respectively. Only few respondents knew about Staphylococcus aureus (3.3% correct answer), hepatitis A virus (19.8% correct answer), and E. coli (5.5% correct answer) as food borne pathogens. About 64% of meat handlers have good attitude about safety of food with mean of total score 14.4±2. All respondents answer correctly questions about proper meat handling and hand washing but they did not translate into strict food hygiene practices. Chi2 analysis testing for the association between knowledge, attitude and practices did not show any significant association. It may be due to meat handlers’ below acceptable level safety practices regardless of sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and attitude. However, there was strong association between level of education and knowledge, and knowledge and hand washing (p, Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Vol 58, No 4 (2017): 2017584

Saidah Wright,1 Dominique Earland,1 Swati Sakhuja,1 Anna Junkins,1 Sarah Franklin,1 Luz Padilla,1 Maung Aung,2 Pauline E Jolly1 1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; 2Western Region Health Authority, Cornwall Regional Hospital, Ministry of Health, Montego Bay, Jamaica Background: Anemia is one of the most prevalent problems in pregnancy. In 2011, 29.9% of all pregnant women in Jamaica were diagnosed with anemia.Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of anemia in pregnancy in Western Jamaica.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 293 mothers attending post-natal clinics in Western Jamaica. A questionnaire was administered to the mothers, and an abstraction form was used to collect clinical data from the mothers’ records.Results: The prevalence of anemia among the women was 37.6%. Younger mothers (aged 18–24years) were more likely to be anemic compared to those ≥35years (odds ratio [OR]: 3.44, 95% CI: 1.07–11.06). Mothers who reported not always washing their hands after using the toilet were almost 10 times more likely to be anemic (OR: 9.7, 95% CI: 1.72–54.78) compared to those who reported always washing their hands. Mothers who attended a public facility for antenatal care were 2.3 times more likely to be anemic (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.03–5.18) compared to those who obtained care at a private facility, and mothers who reported being told that they were anemic by a health care provider (HCP) were almost six times more likely to be anemic compared with those who were not told (OR: 5.58, 95% CI: 1.73–17.93).Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that early identification and treatment of anemia, especially among younger pregnant women, should be a priority. HCP should ensure that women understand the need to be cured of their anemia and to adhere to preventive hygienic practices. Keywords: predictors of anemia, hygienic practices, ANC facilities, Healthcare Providers’ communication

Food virology is a relatively young but important field in food safety. Viruses in general and human noroviruses in particular, are the leading cause of foodborne disease of known etiology in developed countries. Hepatitis A virus is also important, as are a number of emerging viruses. This article identifies the relevant viruses, describes their structural characteristics and the diseases they cause, and what is known about their epidemiological significance. It also describes why their transmission is so difficult to control, their detection difficult to achieve, and future research needs that will facilitate their study by food safety scientists.

Objective: Small scale industries are growing very fast employing majority of the urban poor. Mishandling of chemicals is common in these industries and most of them are toxic. The aim of this study was to assess the type of chemicals used in small-scale industries (SSI) and factors associated with mishandling of chemicals by workers. Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to interview 300 workers in 90 small scale industries chosen at random. Results: The study revealed that 25 different types of chemicals were being used, ranging from heavy metals to acids and solvents. Most of the workers were handling toxic chemicals without using personal protective equipment. Low level of awareness among employers and workers on health hazards related to handling of toxic chemicals and poor hygienic practices were the main factors associated with high exposure to chemicals. Protection of the workers from those exposures would be possible if only a policy addressing SSI in the informal sector is formulated. The policy will give power to other sectors dealing with occupational health and safety of the workers to become actively involved in this sector. Allocation of permanent plots for SSI would give workers and their employers an opportunity to get loans from NGOS and the Government so as to improve water supply and sanitation as one way of preventing the spread of the toxic substances to the nearby community. Conclusion: Workers in SSI are exposed to toxic chemicals and appropriate measures are recommended.

La maîtrise du portage de Salmonella est une des préoccupations majeures de la filière porcine notamment depuis l’adoption de la directive européenne de 2004 sur les zoonoses. La prévalence d’animaux porteurs asymptomatiques en fin d’engraissement est un point critique pour la propagation de Salmonella dans la chaîne d’abattage et la contamination des produits porcins. L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer l’effet de conduites d’élevage et de la qualité du nettoyage-désinfection sur la prévalence de portage des porcs charcutiers au départ à l’abattoir. Nous avons développé un modèle mathématique pour simuler à la fois, la dynamique des populations de truies et de porcs dans un élevage naisseur-engraisseur, la gestion de la conduite en bande par l’éleveur et la propagation des salmonelles. La transmission entre animaux dépend du niveau de contamination du sol des salles de l’élevage dans lesquelles les animaux se succèdent. Cette contamination est liée au nombre d’animaux infectés qui excrètent dans ces salles et à la qualité du nettoyage désinfection. Plusieurs scénarios combinant différentes valeurs d’efficacité du nettoyage-désinfection avec deux types de conduites en bande, avec et sans mélange de bandes en fin d’engraissement, ont été testés. La séroprévalence dans les lots de porcs charcutiers au départ à l’abattoir est significativement plus élevée avec une diminution de l’efficacité du nettoyage-désinfection Les valeurs de séroprévalence dans les lots de porcs charcutiers sont proches pour des efficacités de décontamination située entre 99,9 et 90% quelle que soit la conduite testée. Une valeur de décontamination de 80% induit une augmentation de la séroprévalence. Cette augmentation est plus forte dans le cas d’une conduite avec mélange de bandes en fin d’engraissement. Les résultats montrent que le respect des pratiques d’hygiène permet de maintenir la prévalence de l’infection à un niveau faible une fois la bactérie installée dans le troupeau.

National audience; La maîtrise du portage de Salmonella est une des préoccupations majeures de la filière porcine notamment depuis l'adoption de la directive européenne de 2004 sur les zoonoses. La prévalence d'animaux porteurs asymptomatiques en fin d'engraissement est un point critique pour la propagation de Salmonella dans la chaîne d'abattage et la contamination des produits porcins. L'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer l'effet de conduites d'élevage et de la qualité du nettoyage-désinfection sur la prévalence de portage des porcs charcutiers au départ à l'abattoir. Nous avons développé un modèle mathématique pour simuler à la fois, la dynamique des populations de truies et de porcs dans un élevage naisseur-engraisseur, la gestion de la conduite en bandes par l'éleveur et la propagation des salmonelles. La transmission entre animaux dépend du niveau de contamination du sol des salles de l'élevage dans lesquelles les animaux se succèdent. Cette contamination est liée au nombre d'animaux infectés qui excrètent dans ces salles et à la qualité du nettoyage-désinfection. Plusieurs scénarios combinant différentes valeurs d'efficacité du nettoyage-désinfection avec deux types de conduites en bande, avec et sans mélange de bandes en fin d'engraissement, ont été testés. Dans nos résultats, la séroprévalence dans les lots de porcs charcutiers au départ à l'abattoir est significativement plus élevée avec une diminution de l'efficacité du nettoyage-désinfection. Les valeurs de séroprévalence dans les lots de porcs charcutiers sont proches pour des efficacités de décontamination situées entre 99,9 et 90% quelle que soit la conduite testée. Une efficacité de décontamination de 80% est associée à une séroprévalence très élevée. Ce niveau est plus fort dans le cas d'une conduite avec mélange de bandes en fin d'engraissement. Les résultats montrent que, une fois la bactérie installée dans le troupeau, le respect des pratiques d'hygiène permet de maintenir la prévalence de l'infection à un niveau faible