Port health surveillance of imported meats at Port Bustamante Kingston Jamaica and a comparison with Port of Spain Trindad

During recent years surveillance has assumed greater importance in the prevention and control of imported diseases. The increasing numbers of infectionsand the emergence of new diseases gives rise to increases of selected specific factors known to be associated with these infections. International movement of foods is increasing in the Caribbean region hence the need for continuous scutiny of the factors that determine the occurence and distribution of diseases. International cooperation is needed in avoiding low quality products and in dealing with re-shipment of rejected foodstuffs. A survey was done amongst a total of 146 workers consisting of 35 sanitation workers, 66 cold storage strippers and 45 public health inspectors. Information was sought in order to assess the level of surveillance of imported meats and factors that impact on the prevention and control of foodbourne diseases. Sanitation was generally satisfactory at both ports. It was found that the mean practice scores of all categories of workers were greater than their mean knowledge scores at both ports. Mean knowledge scores for cold storage strippers were less than 60 percent at both ports. The regular cleaning and maintenance of the ports ensure a safe environment and assist in prevention of contamination. This does not mean that safety is assured as the port is an ideal place for the harbourage of rats and insects pests. The low knowledge scores of cold storage strippers may be the result of not having any formal training in the handling and storage of meats. Surveillance of meats through inspection should be accompanied by regular sampling. (AU)

Veilig eten: diesrede uitgesproken ter gelegenheid van het vierde lustrum van de Faculteit der Medische Wetenschappen op 1 november l989 / Eating safely: commemoration speach at the fourth anniversary of the Faculty of Medical Sciences on November 1, 1989

Through food essential nutrients are ingested into the body. To prevent foodborne diseases, the food should be prepared hygienically. This applies to households, as well as mass catering. Each government should supervise mass catering. Food hygiene is also important for the food trade. The time between the preparation and eating of food, as well as the place where this happens, are also important. Food should be eaten shortly after its preparation (1-2 hours). It may contain unwanted chemical or biological substances. Various forms of mass catering are discussed. According to the WHO there is a small number of factors responsible for most of the foodborne diseases. That is why 10 golden rules for foodhandling were drawn up

A critical assessment of the poultry processing industry in St. Catherine

The duties of the officers of the Public Health Department in St. Catherine are outlined. Recommendations are made as to how conditions could be improved. (AU)

Meat inspection in the parish of Manchester

The research shows that private places of slaughter were not constructed in a manner that could enable the production of good, safe meat. Structures and equipment provided by butchers were far below the minimum standard that would enhance the production of good safe meat. Sanitation was also a very grave problem. It seems that not enough planning and forethought was put into the building of most places of slaughter visited. Because of this, many problems existed which are discussed in the thesis. (AU)

Monitoring of frozen meat and meat products at ports of entry in Kingston by the Public Health Inspector for period 1975-79

The criteria which were used to pass the meat as fit for human consumption, the quantity and types of meats which were condemned and reasons for their condemnation were also investigated. It was found that: (i) The notification of the arrival of ships was not satisfactory. (ii) There are no written criteria for passing meats, but the method of inspection used was satisfactory. (iii) Large quantities of meat were condemned over the period under study and poultry meat headed the condemnation. Dehydration decomposition and freezer-burn were the principal reasons for condemnation. (v) There was no condemnation of mutton for the years 1978 and 1979. (vi) Mutton had the lowest condemnation which could be attributed to the type of packaging. (vii) Containerization of meats increased as of 1977. Based on the findings, measures for the improvement of the monitoring system were devised. (AU)

The meat trade in Portland with special emphasis on the public health aspect

Some of the features stated which make a private slaughter place unsatisfactory are :- 1) Broken up concrete slab 2) Overgrown vegetation 3) Stagnant water in drains 4) Dirty concrete surface 5) Inadequate water supply 6) Dirty and unsightly surroundings 7) Insanitary toilet facilities . In respect of the survey carried out to determine the extent to which the public is exposed to disease through the meat trade, from the purchasing of the animals through to the consumption of the meat, the researcher has decided to make the following recommendations for further improvements. (AU)

The development and growth of the public health inspectorate in Trinidad and Tobago

The study deals with the development of the public health inspectorate as it relates to the progress made in Public Health in Trinidad and Tobago. A detailed evaluation of facilities and oppportunities for training offered to the inspectors is presented. Recommendations are made as to how the service provide by the inspectors could be generally improved. (AU)

Some aspects of food hygiene in the parish of St. Michael, Barbados

From the findings of the survey it was revealed that the majority of businesses were owner operated. Both the owners and employees indicated in the majority of cases that they had had no training for their jobs nor any lectures in food hygiene, although they all thought such lectures should be given. However, in reply to such questions as "What are the food bourne diseases", "What health criteria should a worker have to satisfy, before being allowed to work in the handling of food", "How important are flies to the foodhandler and what precautions can be taken against them?", the majority of the respondents were able to give satisfactory answers although a much lower percentage did not know. (AU)

The prevalence of salmonellae in poultry, cattle, pigs and animal feeds in Jamaica

The prevalence of Salmonella in certain food animals - poultry, cattle and pigs - and their food stuffs, was investigated in Jamaica for the first time. A total of 1,076 samples were examined. Samples of faeces and cloacal swabs were taken from poultry at the time of slaughter, at a processing plant in Jamaica in 1968. This was repeated in 1971 when poultry from three other plants were also tested. 28 of 323 (8.7 percent) samples yielded Salmonella. The recovery rate for the factories varied between 0 percent and 15 percent. The patterns of recovery indicated that good sanitation and equipment lowered the incidence of salmonellae in poultry. Serotypes isolated were S. blockely (8 isolates), S. typhimurium var copenhagen and S. albany (6 isolates each), S.bredeney (5 isolates), S. saint paul, S. infantis and S. haadt (one isolate each). Improved methods of sanitation appear to be needed, especially for handling giblets. A survey of pigs and cattle at the Kingston abattoir was made in 1968 and repeated in 1972. At the first survey 52 samples were taken from cattle and consisted of swabs of liver, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. 25 samples were taken from pigs, consisting of swabs of liver and spleen. No salmonellae were recovered. During the second survey in 1972, a total of 101 samples were taken from pigs, cattle, the environment (cutting surfaces, knives, floors, etc.) and from the abattoir effluent. Thirty six percent of these were found to be positive for Salmonella. Mesenteric nodes (comminuted) and faecal swabs together yielded 3 Salmonella isolates from 24 samples of cattle (12.5 percent) and 24 Salmonella isolates were made from 41 samples of pigs (54 percent). The differences in recovery of salmonellae between the two surveys was considered to be due to differences in sampling method and site. The efficiency of recovery of Salmonella from these two sources was compared. Brilliant Green (BG) and xylose-lysine-deoxycholate (XLD) agars, were compared for relative rates of recovery of salmonellae. The serotypes isolated from cattle were S. ohio (2 isolates) and S. meleagridis (one isolate). Ten of the 22 isolates cultured from pigs were serotyped with the following results: S. anatum (3 isolates), S. senftenberg (2 isolates), S. derby (2 isolates), S. heidelberg (one isolate), S.bonariensis and S. meleagridis (one isolate each). One hundred and thirteen samples of animal feeds and feed ingredients were analysed for Salmonella in 1968. Seven (6 percent) of these were found to be positive by the conventional cultural (CC) method. Fifty eight of these were also examined by the fluorescent antibody (FA) method of Ellis, and 9 were found positive for Salmonella. However, only 4 of these were confirmed by the CC method. Three that yielded Salmonella by the CC method were negative by FA. Serotypes isolated were S. eimsbuettel (4 isolates), S. senftenberg (2 isolates) and S. albany (one isolate). Human serotypes isolated at the University Hospital and by the Government Bacteriological Laboratory were examined in order to note if any relationship could be detected between predominant serotypes isolated from humans and those isolated from animals and their feeds. The 10 Salmonella serotypes most frequently isolated from humans in Jamaica between 1967 and 1971 in order of frequency were: S. derby, S. typhimurium, S. infantis, S. oranienburg, S. enteritidis, S. saint paul, S. panama, S. san diego, S. heidelberg and S. anatum. There was no clear evidence of direct relationship between serotypes isolated from humans and those from food animals and their feeds. Four hundred and eighty seven food samples were examined, but none yielded Salmonella. These included poultry and pig products (sausages). The need for detailed attention towards bacteriological standards and all other aspects of the sanitary control of poultry processing plants and abattoirs was indicated (AU)

De bacteriologische gesteldheid van gedroogde en gezouten vis uit Paramaribo / The bacteriological condition of dried and salted fish from Paramaribo

In 1969 an examination was done to determine the bacteriological condition of dried and salted fish from Paramaribo. The samples were taken at the central market in Paramaribo and examined in the Netherlands. Six samples of smoked fish contained inadmissible bacterial growth. Six samples of dried and dried salted fish showed an admissible bacteriological condition. At some points improvement appeared to be possible and advisable

The organization of the health services in the parish of St. James, Jamaica

There is given (Chap. 1) a brief description of the parish of St. James, its capital city, Montego Bay, and its population. The reason for the choice of the parish is explained. Some historical aspects of the development of the Health Services in Jamaica are reviewed so that a few of the administrative problems facing health planners today may be better understood. In the following chapters the hospital and other facilities, as well as the health status of the population, are examined. A special effort is made to identify preventable causes of morbidity and mortality. In the final chapter, some areas of research are suggested, and recommendations made towards the solution of the problems found (AU)