Foodborne shigella and viral hepatitis are most likely due to which of the following?

• A. Contaminated water only
• B. Improper handling
• C. Vaccination
• D. Antibiotics

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that foodborne transmission of Shigella and hepatitis A is most closely tied to how food is handled by people who prepare and serve it. When someone who is infected doesn’t wash their hands properly or when foods are prepared with poor hygiene, pathogens from the fecal matter can contaminate the food. Shigella is highly contagious and spreads easily via the fecal-oral route, so even small lapses in handwashing or cross-contamination with dirty utensils can lead to illness. Hepatitis A behaves similarly in food contexts: an infected food handler can shed the virus in their stool, and if they don’t practice good hygiene, the virus can contaminate ready-to-eat foods and spread to many people.

Water contamination can also cause these diseases, but in the setting of foodborne illness linked to eating prepared foods, improper handling is the most common route. Vaccination helps prevent Hepatitis A in individuals, but it doesn’t address how the transmission occurs through handling. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections like Shigella but don’t explain the mechanism of transmission through food handling.