Pols JC van der ,
Laar MJW van de ,
Coenen T ,
Dijkmans BAC ,
Dissel JT van ,
Schop WA
45 p
in Dutch
1993
Toon Nederlands
English Abstract In 1991 a large group of people (600) visited the
Francorchamps area in Belgium and participated in a Burgundian meal. More
than 60% of the participants became ill because of gastro-intestinal
complaints. Research revealed that Salmonella blockley was isolated from
faeses, probably due to incorrect handling of the chicken. This study was
carried out to determine (1) the medical consumption and costs as a result
of gastro-intestinal complaints in this group and (2) the occurrence of
medical complaints in the six months after the acute infection. The
incidence of complications due to gastro-intestinal infections was estimated
to be between 0,5% and 6,8%. The exact incidence should be confirmed by
medical examination of the participants of the study. The costs revealed to
be 1000 Dutch guilders per patient with complaints. Loss of productivity
(64%) and costs of family care (22%) account for the main part of the total
costs. Health education should focus on the storing, the transport and the
preparation of food (especially from animal origin) in order to prevent the
gastro-intestinal infections.
