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Attack rate calculation — DTM&H MCQ

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EasyEpidemiology and public healthAttack rate calculationDTM&H

At a wedding in rural Nepal, 80 of 200 guests who ate chicken curry develop vomiting and diarrhoea within 12 hours. Investigators compare illness among exposed and unexposed guests. What is the most appropriate investigation?

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Correct answer: E — Calculate food-specific attack rates

Calculate food-specific attack rates is the single best answer because food-specific attack rates identify likely vehicles in point-source foodborne outbreaks. Estimate infant mortality rate is plausible in a related presentation, but it is less appropriate because it does not fit the key discriminator in this vignette. The teaching point is that the short incubation supports toxin-mediated or bacterial food poisoning.

Reference: WHO outbreak investigation guidance; Sphere Handbook; Manson's Tropical Diseases