Epidemiological study of acute food poisoning recorded at Imam Khomeini Hospital of Kermanshah during 4 years period (2008-2011)

Foodborne diseases remain as one of the world’s major health problem that often poses severe and immediate danger. Epidemiological studies have essential role in identifying the contamination sources, transmission routes and prevalence rates of foodborne diseases, as well as establishing the prevention/control strategies. The aim of this study was to conduct an epidemiological survey on acute foodborne diseases recorded at Imam Khomeini Hospital of Kermanshah during 4 years (2008-2011). For this, the information of patients was extracted using 165 medical files. Using Chi-Square test, the relationship between the occurrence of foodborne diseases and different variables was determined. Considering the season, gender and age of the patients, it was revealed that most incidences of foodborne diseases were observed in spring, male patients and age group of 15 to 30 years. The incidence trend of foodborne diseases was increased from 2008 to 2011. Moreover, there were a significant relationship among incidence of foodborne diseases with season, month, gender and age group (P < 0.01). According to the results it is crucial that the responsible authorities bring about the public educations to increase the public awareness using radio, TV shows, newspapers, and etc