Norovirus in Vermont

In collecting this information, consider the following recommendations: • Always collect as much information as possible from the person reporting the illness during the first contact because talking with that person again might become difficult. If the complainant cannot provide critical pieces of information, find out who might be able to do so. Be sure to askthe complainant how he or she can be reached and if anyone else has been notified of this problem. • Remember that illnesses that can be acquired through foods often can be acquired through other means (e.g., water, person-to-person contact, and animal-to-person contact). Keep an open mind about possible sources and do not assume that food is the responsible vehicle. Collect information on all possible modes of transmission. Health departments usually have aform designed for collection of exposure information on enteric diseases that covers possiblefood, water, person-to-person, and animal-to-person transmission. • If the illness is consistent with a potential foodborne illness, collect a complete food history. Regardless of the source, complainants often associate illness with the last food or meal theyconsumed before becoming ill, particularly if it was at a commercial establishment. • If the etiologic agent is unknown, obtain a 72-hour food history or longer (i.e., allfoods/beverages/meals consumed during the 72 hours before illness onset). • For illnesses in which diarrhea is the predominant symptom (as opposed to vomiting), collect a 5-day food history because incubation periods for diarrheal diseases tend to be longer thanillnesses that include only vomiting. • If the etiologic agent is known, ask about foods/beverages/meals eaten within the incubationperiod for that illness. • If more than one person is ill, focus on foods/beverages/meals common to all persons but still collect complete food histories for the appropriate periods for all persons. • Be sure to accurately record symptoms, dates and times of illness onset, and dates and times ofexposures. The majority of persons who have experienced a recent illness should be able to provide you with these answers. • Collect and record information on pertinent negatives as well as pertinent positives. For example,if one only records that symptoms included vomiting and diarrhea, it is difficult to know if that means no fever was present or that the information was not collected