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Information was received at the end of July that a resident in the Borough of Horrisey
was in Whittington Hospital as a confirmed case of salmonella typhi murium food poisoning.
He attended a wedding breakfast and buffet which was held at an address in Bethnal Green
Approximately 55 guests had been present and on enquiry, following investigation of 17 of
the guests who lived in Islington, including the bride and groom, it was ascertained that
10 of them had been ill with symptoms which included headache, abdominal pains, vomiting
and diarrhoea. The illness lasted between 1 and 7 days, with an average of 2 to 3 days, and
was moderate to severe in character. Specimens were examined from all the Islington guests
and salmonella typhi murium was isolated from 9 of these. A further guest reported as having
been ill, who lived in the Borough of Wandsworth,was referred to the Medical Officer of
Health concerned and this case was also found to be positive.
The Medical Officer of Health, Bethnal Green, was kept informed from the outset and
subsequently reported that none of the guests living in his area had shown any symptoms of
food poisoning. A large variety of foods had been consumed including sausage rolls, veal
and ham pie, brisket of beef and chipolata sausages, but it was not possible to isolate any
particular item as having caused the outbreak.
The outbreak was reported to the Ministry of Health as required by their Memo, 188/Med.
1958, although incomplete as to conditions of storage, preparation, etc. of food in Bethnal
Green.
Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever
Information was received in respect of a male adult who was transferred to an isolation
hospital as a suspected typhoid fever case and the diagnosis was subsequently confirmed, The
patient was of Cypriot origin and employed as a cook in another London borough. Several of
the family and domiciliary contacts of this case were also engaged in food handling and the
Medical Officers of Health of the Boroughs concerned were kept fully informed. No definite
source of infection was discovered and fortunately bacteriological investigations of all
contacts proved negative.
A seven-year old boy was admitted to hospital with suspected typhoid fever, paratyphoid
B infection was subsequently diagnosed, but the possible source of this infection could not
be ascertained.
Dysentery
The incidence of dysentery in 1961, with 334 cases was considerably lower than in 1960
when there were 1,029 cases. From the detailed analysis, it will be noted that 153 cases
(46%) were under 5 years and 101 cases (30%) of school age.
This distribution was due to the fact that the main outbreaks occurred in 4 Day Nurseries,
(2 outside the Borough) and in 2 Islington Schools. Cases in the under 5 year age group
related also to an Islington Residential Institution. These were cases transferred from a
similar Institution, where dysentery had occurred, in another Borough.