You will be diagramming the course and impact of a real world foodborne illness outbreak, choosing one of the outbreaks noted in these assignment instructions. Your diagram will be a one page infographic that visually identifies and explains the way the outbreak occurred, from source to victims.
In short – your infographic should be a one page document that shows graphically – using images and a few short explanations – the way a foodborne illness was transmitted from the source to the victim. That is – begin at the beginning. What food item became contaminated by a pathogen and caused the illness? How did that pathogen contaminate the food, and why/how were the victims served that food? There are safe food preparation practices that can prevent many foodborne illness outbreaks – what was the critical error that caused the contaminated food item to be served and cause illness?
The infographic must include the information noted below.
Name of the foodborne illness outbreak (the illness it caused)
Cause of the outbreak (virus, bacteria, parasite, etc.) – this is the actual pathogen
The path from source to victim, including the number of victims
The CRITICAL point where the outbreak could have been prevented must be identified. Identify if this was caused by a grower/producer, manufacturer, restaurant error, or something else.
A precaution (if possible) that would have prevented this outbreak
Your sources must be included, but they do not have to be formatted in APA format – you may include links to your online sources.
You may use any of the following to create your one page infographic: PowerPoint (one slide), MS Word (save as a .pdf to preserve your formatting), an infographic creation site or software, such as Canva (www.canva.com for a free account). Please note that if you use a specific software other than Microsoft or Adobe, you may be required to convert it to a file that your instructor can open. Keep that in mind and if you have questions about whether or not your instructor will be able to open your file, please ask in advance.
Be sure to review the tips posted below the instructions in the course menu, for an example of the expectations for the infographic.
You may use any of the real world outbreaks noted below for this infographic. If you wish to use a different outbreak that is not listed below, please contact your instructor for approval. You will have to research the specific outbreak in order to find the necessary information to complete the infographic and include all the required information. Hint: The CDC has very good information beyond what the web can provide for you – you must use at least two sources. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/multistate-outbreaks/outbreaks-list.html
The sources must be reliable, academic resources. For tips on finding academic resources, please visit the student academic resource center in the library. https://www.apus.edu/apus-library/online-research/search/getting-started.html
Choices for outbreak cases for the infographic: please choose only one
Salmonella Newport outbreak – October 2020 – U.S. and Canada
Salmonella Enteritidis – August to October 2020 – across the U.S. (fruit)
Salmonella Enteritidis- February through June 2021 – multiple U.S. states
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli – Fall, 2020 – multiple U.S. states
- Coli – May 2021 – Washington State, Arizona
Botulism – 2017 – California
The suggestion for successfully completing this assignment is to first review the instructions and rubric, then choose the outbreak you will use. Research that outbreak to be sure you have all the necessary information. Begin by outlining all the required information prior to starting your infographic to ensure you are including everything that is required.
Refer to the iRubric for details on how the assignment will be evaluated. Please ask for any necessary clarifications prior to submitting your assignment.
