@article{hbkup:/content/journals/10.5339/qmj.2019.12, author = "Al-Dahshan, Ayman and Elyamani, Rowaida and Naja, Sarah and Chehab, Mohamad and Nour, Mohamed and Elmagboul, Emad and Saleh, Thoraya and Al-Romaihi, Hamad and Farag, Elmoubasher", title = "Epidemiological characteristics of a salmonella outbreak among infants in Qatar, 2017", journal= "Qatar Medical Journal", year = "2020", volume = "2019", number = "3", pages = "", doi = "https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2019.12", url = "https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/qmj.2019.12", publisher = "Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press)", issn = "2227-0426", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "infants", keywords = "salmonella", keywords = "outbreak", eid = "12", abstract = "Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the epidemiology behind the increased incidence of infant salmonella cases in Qatar during 2017 and identify the possible risk factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using the notification reports of laboratory-confirmed infant salmonella cases received by the Ministry of Public Health during the year 2017. Furthermore, complementary phone interviews with the infants’ mothers using a validated questionnaire were conducted. Results: The infant salmonella attack rate was calculated at approximately 3.23 cases per 1000 infants. Among the 89 confirmed infant salmonella cases, there were more girls (53%) than boys (47%) with a median age of 8 months. The most common type of salmonella species isolated was group B (50.5%). Among the 59 infant cases whose mothers were interviewed, the majority (94.9%) were symptomatic and diarrhea was the main reported symptom (90%), particularly bloody diarrhoea (62%). Regarding their dietary consumption, the majority (69.5%) of the infected infants were formula-fed. Moreover, the majority reported having no pets at home (91.6%) and were not enrolled in a day care center (93.3%). Conclusion: This study revealed a high incidence of salmonella infection among infants in the State of Qatar, which poses a public health concern. Therefore, targeted interventions and health awareness programs are required for outbreak prevention, detection and control.", }