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16
Number of Children who received Full Course of Immunising—
Injections:—
1.1.48—4.7.48 5.7.48—31.12.48
Under 5 years 2,616 2,048
5-15 years 156 68
2,772 2,116
Number of children who were Primary Schick Tested with
negative result and therefore did not require immunisation 15 3
Number of Children Immunised outside the Borough and Tested
in Islington with a Negative Result 277 104
Number of children re-tested with a negative result 618 297
Number of children Post Schick Tested with a negative result 1,947 2,212
Food Poisoning.
During the year 10 cases of food poisoning were notified. There was one death
but the diagnosis of food poisoning was not confirmed in this case, the death being due
to heart disease. The causative organisms were not ascertainable either in the
foods consumed or in specimens taken from the patients, with the exception of one
patient who was found to be suffering from a Salmonella Typhi-murium infection
and which was probably derived from duck egg. This patient continued to be a
carrier of this organism for a considerable time and was kept under observation.
The sum total of illness due to the consumption of contaminated food is
considerably greater than would appear from the notified cases alone. The majority
of food poisoning cases are generally of such short duration and lacking in severity
that it is only a minority of patients that seek medical attention. It may, therefore,
be assumed that most cases are not notified. The inference of food poisoning must
frequently be drawn from the fact that the persons affected have consumed food from
the same source about the same time, although in each case the illness may be of a
relatively trivial nature. This, however, does not give ground for complacency since
the same mode of spread may occur with an infection of a much more severe character.
All reports of food poisoning outbreaks therefore serve as warnings to take precautions
if there is to be no repetition with more unfortunate results than hitherto.
The number of persons affected in any outbreak is usually very much less than
the number who have partaken of the questionable meal. This is illustrated in the
following table of outbreaks during the year, of which the first occurred in a staff
canteen and the others in restaurants attached to the London County Council School
Meals service.