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to that it was in Holland, although it was thought to have originated from India. The monkey had been ill
for five or six days before its demise; symptoms were "being off its food" with slight vomiting. It was
found on the morning in question prostrate and looking very ill. Its vomit was very frothy and slightly
blood stained.
Finally, the histological test proved negative and the diagnosis was not confirmed.
TYPHOID AND PARATYPHOID FEVER
There were three confirmed cases of typhoid fever and three confirmed paratyphoid cases during the
year as follows:
Of the three typhoid cases referred to above, the first concerned an adult Moroccan male who arrived in
this country by air on 1st August and had resided at an address in Islington since that time.
On 19th August he became ill, and was admitted to a general hospital on the 23rd; subsequently being
transferred to an isolation hospital on the 28th August on confirmation of diagnosis of typhoid fever.
On domiciliary enquiry, it was ascertained that he worked at a Steak House in another borough where he
was employed in the kitchen helping the cook. Source of infection at this time was indeterminate although
the incubation period suggested that he caught the infection abroad. Nevertheless, as he had all his meals at
the restaurant, the possibility of the infection being contracted there had to be considered.
Accordingly, detailed investigation including examination of contacts was undertaken. In the house 13
contacts were discovered; of these many were food handlers and had to be excluded from work. In an
adjacent household where there had also been close contact, a further 11 contacts were investigated. The
patient was discharged on 14th October and although the last 6 faecal specimens and the last 7 urine
specimens were negative, it was felt that the patient could not be permitted to return to work in the food
trade owing to the continued possibility of his urine reverting to the positive state. In addition, he would be
residing in a multi-occupied house where he was in close contact with 24 other people, mostly Arab or
Pakistani immigrants, resident in this and in an adjacent house, nearly all of whom were also engaged in the
food trade; this was clearly undesirable from a public health point of view and constituted a grave risk.
Consequently, discussions took place with the Home Office and it was finally arranged for the patient to
return to his home in Tangier.
In accordance with Section 41 of the Public Health Act, 1961, he was compensated in full for loss of
earnings for the period of his discharge from hospital to the time he returned to Tangier and, in addition,
the Council paid for his passage home. Compensation was also paid as appropriate to those excluded food
handler contacts employed in Islington.
The second case concerned a 15-year-old male who arrived in the borough from Pakistan on the 10th
September reporting to his doctor as having been ill one month previously.
As a result of a precautionary faecal specimen submitted at the request of the medical practitioner,
Salmonella Typhi was isolated and the patient removed to an Isolation Hospital.
Domiciliary enquiries were carried out and bacteriological examination of the 11 residents in the house
proved negative. Their medical practitioners were informed.
The other typhoid case concerned an adult Nigerian woman resident in Islington, who was admitted to
an isolation hospital with pyrexia of unknown origin on the 3rd November, 1970. Subsequent blood
cultures proved positive for Salmonella Typhi, Phage type C.I, which is a European organism. The date of
onset was stated to be the 27th October.
Specimens of blood, faeces and urine were taken of Islington contacts including the employees in shops
where the patient normally purchased her groceries, etc. Sewer swabs were also inserted into the drain from
the house at the patient's residence. All bacteriological results from the above proved negative.
Neither the patient nor her husband had been out of the country during the previous month.
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