The table below shows results from an investigation after people at a sports centre developed diarrhoea and vomiting. A public-health officer asked people w...
Question 1 Report
The table below shows results from an investigation after people at a sports centre developed diarrhoea and vomiting. A public-health officer asked people which food they ate from a buffet. The officer also recorded the number who became ill within 36 hours.
| food item | number of people who ate the food | number of people who became ill |
|---|---|---|
| chicken wraps | 48 | 30 |
| pasta salad | 40 | 8 |
| vegetable soup | 36 | 6 |
(a) Calculate the percentage of people who ate chicken wraps and became ill.
Show your working. [2]
(b) Use Table 1 to identify the food most likely to have caused the outbreak. Explain your answer. [2]
(c) Describe two further actions the officer could take to investigate the source of the disease. [2]
(d) Explain why thorough handwashing by food handlers can reduce the number of people who become ill. [2]
Answer Details
(a)
\[\frac{30}{48}\times100=62.5\%\]
Therefore, 62.5% of people who ate chicken wraps became ill. [2]
(b) The most likely food source is chicken wraps, because they have the highest proportion becoming ill: 30 out of 48, or 62.5%. [2]
(c) The officer could test remaining food for pathogens, take swabs from kitchen surfaces or equipment, test samples from ill people, or interview food handlers about illness and food preparation. Any two gain credit. [2]
(d) Thorough handwashing removes pathogens from food handlers’ hands. The pathogens are then less likely to be transferred to food and enter people’s bodies. [2]
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