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33
NOTIFICATIONS OTHER THAN TUBERCULOSIS
There was a general reduction in the number of notifications received during
the year. In fact the number was less than half that for the year 1963. This is
Probably due to the fact that in that year an outbreak of measles occurred.
Five diseases, namely, Scarlet Fever, Meningococcal Infection. Erysipelas,
Puerperal Pyrexia and Ophthalmia Neonatorum showed increased incidence,
others a reduction on the figures for 1963.
No cases of Poliomyelitis were reported during the year.
Food Poisoning
There were five notified cses of food poisoning and they were distributed
throughout the year as follows :-
First Quarter Nil
Second Quarter NIL
Third Quarter 2
Fourth Quarter 3
5
In all cases the causative agent was not identified..
There was a food poisoning outbreak amongst the staff of a large office block
in the Borough.
The outbreak, which occurred from 3rd to 4th December, 1964, was a mild one
and 30 employees were affected. The duration of the illness was 2-3 hours, three
Persons were off work, and one was sent home. The average interval ingestion to
onset was twelve hours and the main symptoms were abdominal pains and
diarrhoea, minimal vomiting and nausea. Each of the employees affected ate a
chicken omelette for their mid-day meal on December 3rd. This was the only
common factor in the meal. Altogether two hundred and sixty people ate omeletters
but only the 30 employees concerned had significant symptoms. The whole of the
cooking processes were investigated, and any cause within the procedures used in
the kitchen could be reasonably ruled out. The chefs handling the food were
investigated and faecal specimens proved negative. The egg used in the preParation of the omelettes was a mixture of shell eggs and frozen egg, with a
Predominance of the latter.. As a result of the investigations outlined above it
was thought that the outbreak may have been due to infected bulked frozen egg.
Unfortunately however none of the original chicken or frozen egg used in the
Reparation of the food remained for testing. None of the cases were notified.