Date of Award
January 2012
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Department
School of Public Health
First Advisor
Dr. James Hadler
Second Advisor
Dr. Maria Diuk-Wasser
Abstract
Background: Behavior and environment play a significant role in the acquisition of vibriosis. Vibrio data collected over the past twelve years suggests that incidence of vibriosis has increased in Connecticut. Vibriosis is a physician and laboratory reportable illness in Connecticut. Surveillance data was collected by Connecticut FoodNet and Connecticut Department of Public Health staff. These data were analyzed to evaluate the epidemiology and trends in incidence over time.
Methods: Incidence rates were stratified by demographic, geographic, bacteriologic and clinical groups and trends in the incidence and percentage of cases in these groups were analyzed over time. Because risk factors for developing vibriosis could be dependent on specific behaviors, trends in the percentage of cases with selected exposures were also analyzed over the twelve year time period.
Results : The incidence of vibriosis increased over the past twelve years in Connecticut, from an incidence of 1.83 per million population in 1999 to 8.95 in 2010. Incidence rates were highest among men, during the summer and fall months, in those over the age of 50 years, and in people who reside in coastal counties. While increases in incidence rate/number of cases were seen for most demographic, geographic, bacteriologic, and clinical and exposure groups, only the percentages of all case-patients who had wound infections and had direct skin and wound exposure to water increased over time.
Conclusions: Possible explanations for the overall increase include: warmer water temperatures with higher Vibrio levels and/or more people spending more time in contact with potentially contaminated water, especially the elderly. The faster relative increase in wound infections and relative increase exposures involving skin, merit particular study to determine factors for their faster increase and monitoring to see if they continue to cause an increasing proportion of all cases.
Recommended Citation
Ellis, Olivia, "Epidemiology And Trends For Vibriosis In Connecticut, 1999-2010" (2012). Public Health Theses. 1075.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysphtdl/1075
Comments
This is an Open Access Thesis.