View report page

Final reports showed that 26 people were affected; average interval from ingestion to onset was between
12 to 48 hours. The main symptoms included fever, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The
severity of illness ranged from moderate to severe and in several cases persisted many days after onset.
Laboratory investigations showed that, of 19 cases examined, 5 proved positive for Salmonella
enteritidis. Of the food handlers examined, 6 ate or tasted the meal, but with no resulting symptoms, 4 of
these showed Salmonella enteritidis present. One other did not consume the meal and was negative. The 2
butchers who prepared the chickens at the wholesalers proved negative, whilst the chicken farm implicated
was also the subject of detailed investigation but with negative results.
LEAD POISONING
There was only one reference to the department on the subject of lead poisoning during 1971.
This concerned a two-year-old girl who was reported by a local hospital as having a raised blood lead
level. Domiciliary enquiries were carried out and a series of samples submitted to the Public Analyst for
examination. From these investigations it appeared likely that the offending lead was that contained in
paint on the window. Consequently the Inspector ordered its removal and reported on his last visit that
conditions were satisfactory.
CHOLERA
There were 250 references to the department for the supervision of possible cholera contacts who
had arrived in this country from declared endemic or locally infected cholera areas.
The large numbers reported occured mainly during the period September to November, 1971 and
generally concerned holiday makers from Spain. This supervision was necessary consequent upon the
discovery of a number of cases in the Barcelona and Valencia Provinces of Spain.
Because cholera is a disease of sudden onset without premonitory symptoms there can be no certain
way of detecting a person entering the country during the incubation period. This is short, usually two to
three days. Accordingly the surveillance period is short. Indeed, in a large percentage of the arrivals it was
found that by the time the notification of arrival had been received the 5 day surveillance period was up. In
these instances it was decided that a letter should be sent with a proforma to be filled in by the arrival and
only in those instances where a history of enteric illness was reported would they be followed up. Needless
to say all those notified within the 5 day quarantine period were visited and kept under observation.
TYPHOID AND PARATYPHOID FEVER
There were only two cases of Typhoid Fever during the year and none of Paratyphoid.
The first case of Typhoid Fever was a young man of 26 years, an in-patient at an Eye Hospital in the
Borough, found to be a confirmed case of Typhoid. He had come to London from Uganda at the end of June
with his parents and stayed at a hotel in another borough. On the 28th July, he flew to Bombay where he
remained for one week. On 6th August he flew to Brussels and was joined there by his parents. All meals
were taken at this address. On the 13th August he went by train to Paris with his parents and subsequently
returned to London to a hotel in another borough. On the 15th August, the patient was admitted to the Eye
Hospital where he had a corneal graft operation on the 16th August. On the 19th, he ran a temperature and
began to complain of headache. Samples of blood and urine were sent for laboratory analysis, the blood
culture being positive whilst the urine negative. No faeces were sent as the patient was constipated.
While in hospital the patient had been visited by his parents and two friends, one who was a nurse in
a hospital outside the Borough. He was of course transferred to an isolation hospital and the Medical Officers
of Health of the other boroughs implicated were informed.
Hospital contacts were placed under daily clinical surveillance until three weeks from the last date of
contact. All tests of contacts proved negative.
31