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other boroughs until, in all, information was received of 35 persons who were
affected from this source. The principal symptoms were nausea, abdominal
pain, severe in a number of cases, sickness and diarrhoea, and the duration of
the illness was between two and seven days. The suspected foods included
faggots, saveloys and pease pudding, which were supplied by wholesalers in
another borough. Each reported case was, of course, followed up, and the staff
of the premises concerned also agreed to voluntary examination. Some members
of the staff, a considerable number of the consumers concerned, and the pease
pudding were all found to have the same organism, known as Salmonella Bovis
Morbificans. This organism is normally harboured by cattle, and it was not
possible to explain how, under the circumstances, the pease pudding became
contaminated. Presumably the organisms were introduced into the pease
pudding by a human carrier who had at some time previously been infected by
consuming contaminated meat. The supply of suspected foods was, of course,
immediately suspended, and food handlers who were found to be carriers were
immediately excluded and kept excluded until clear. The greatest co-operation
was afforded by the owners of the premises concerned.
The number of those who consumed these affected foods is unknown, but
it is understood that this outbreak of food poisoning due to Salmonella Bovis
Morbificans is the second largest outbreak due to this organism, after a very
extensive outbreak which occurred in the North of England a few years ago.
8. The last outbreak was another institutional one, but no food poisoning organism
could be definitely identified. The illness was not severe and recovery of those
affected was complete in about twenty-four hours.
Dysentery
Although there was a very considerable number of dysentery notifications (428),
during the year, this was less than half the number during the previous year. It will
be seen from the table on page 21, that dysentery is an infection which tends to
increase in the cooler months, whereas food poisoning outbreaks, on the whole, are
more likely to occur in warm weather periods. In the great majority of dysentery
cases there is no evidence that this is a food-borne infection, and it would appear
more likely that hygiene precautions, particularly in connection with the toilet,
would reduce the spread of cases. It will also be seen from the table that a high
proportion of those affected were children between the ages of one and five years.
Although the great majority of dysentery cases were due to Bacillus Sonne—and
the illness is not a severe one—there was a smaller number of cases (mostly in a day
nursery) caused by the Flexner organism.
Home enquiries in connection with dysentery cases were always directed to
include information as to whether either the patient or a member of the household
was connected in any way with food handling in his or her work. It will be noted
from the table that a substantial number of such persons were found to be either
cases or food handler contacts, and appropriate precautions were taken, and advice
given when such circumstances were discovered in order that the public could be
suitably protected against possible spread of dysentery through food contamination.
All notified cases were visited by a Sanitary Inspector or Infectious Disease
Visitor, and stool specimens were examined at the Public Health Laboratory Service
Bacteriological Laboratory, County Hall, S.E.I.