Investigation of A Foodborne Outbreak in Dormitory Students Affiliated to One Medical University in Tehran: A Case– Control Study

Background and Objectives: Food-borne diseases are serious problems in public health. Since the outbreaks can be prevented, we need to take action in the prevention of such infection. On 28 June, 2014 cases of gastroenteritis occurred in students living in dormitories of a medical university; therefore, this study aimed to investigate the outbreak of gastroenteritis to determine its risk factors. Methods: This case - control study was performed to evaluate students. A total of 70 patients with gastroenteritis in the outbreak of 16 June 2014 were selected. A total of 70 students without any gastrointestinal complaints in the weeks before the outbreak were also selected as the control group using convenient sampling. Results: The results of this study provided 4 main themes (challenges of access to the data of the surveillance system, challenges of access to the data of national surveys and ordered projects, challenges of access to the data of electronic health records, and challenges of access to confidential data) and 15 sub-themes. Conclusion: According to the results, having lunch prepared by the university on 16 June was the likely cause of the outbreak on 17 June in student living in dormitories. Hygiene in cooking and food storage, especially in public places such as schools and universities are important in the prevention of food-borne outbreaks. © 2017, Iranian Epidemiological Association. All rights reserved.