Step 7 involves which action in the investigation process?

• A. Interpret results
• B. Act on notification of illness
• C. Investigate food handling procedures
• D. Make recommendations for control

Answer: (A)

Understanding what the collected data mean is the crucial skill here. After gathering information from interviews, lab results, and environmental checks, you must interpret what those findings reveal about who was affected, when the illness occurred, and how people were exposed. This interpretation helps you confirm or adjust your hypothesis about the source, route of transmission, and timing, and it guides the next actions to stop the outbreak and prevent recurrence.

Other actions fit into the process but come after you’ve made sense of the data: recognizing illness reports comes earlier to trigger the investigation; examining food handling procedures can be part of identifying potential sources, but it’s the interpretation of all data that tells you what to target; and making recommendations for control happens once you’ve interpreted the results and know what needs to change.