Outbreak of Gastroenteritis at a Hotel Banquet

Straightforward, thorough investigation of an outbreak among attendees of a company holiday dinner held at a hotel in Virginia in 2004. Case study addresses each of the steps of an outbreak investigation.  

Learning Objectives:

After completing this case study, the participant should be able to: 

• Define cluster, outbreak, and epidemic
• List the reasons to conduct an outbreak investigation
• List the steps for an outbreak investigation
• Develop an appropriate case definition for a field investigation
• Construct and interpret an epidemic curve, and 
• Describe a cohort study design and the appropriate measures of association