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68
Food poisoning
The following is the annual return of food poisoning notifications
(corrected) as furnished to the Ministry of Health:—
(1) Food poisoning notifications (corrected) returned to RegistrarGeneral:—
First quarter 9
Second quarter 8
Third quarter 22
Fourth quarter 3
42
(2) Outbreaks due to identified agents:—
Total outbreaks 1 Total cases 8
Outbreaks due to:—
(a) chemical poisons —
(b) salmonella organisms 1
(c) staphylococci (including toxin) —
(d) Cl. botulinum —
(e) other bacteria —
(3) Outbreaks of undiscovered cause 1 Total cases 6
(4) Single cases:—
Agent identified 11; Unknown 17; Total 28
Whooping cough
Cases continued to decrease and this decrease has for some years
been pretty consistent; thus in 1950 and again in 1951 there were over
800 cases, in 1952 and 1953 there were over 500 cases, in 1954 and 1955
there were over 400 cases and both in 1956 and 1957 the number came
down to just over 200. It is uncertain as to how much of this decrease
has been due to immunisation, which is certainly becoming more popular,
and how much has been due to a "natural" decrease in the virulence
or infectivity of the causal organism.