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FOOD POISONING OUTBREAK
Hither Green Hospital, August 1970
I would like to acknowledge the assistance and information received from the
Southern Group Laboratory (Lewisham Hospital Management Committee) and
Hither Green Hospital in the compilation of this report.
During the weekend of 15th-16th August seven nurses at Hither Green Hospital
reported sick to the receiving room with abdominal pain, general malaise and
diarrhoea. Four became acutely ill on the 15th August and three on the 16th. By
Monday 17th, six other members of the hospital staff in various departments and
employments had reported ill with similar symptoms. On careful questioning it
transpired that all these people had eaten lunch or tea at Hither Green Hospital on
Friday 14th August, and all had eaten cold tongue served as a salad at lunch and
sandwiches at teatime.
On Tuesday 18th August, two nurses of St. John's Hospital also became ill and
gave a history of having eaten tongue on Saturday the 15th (part of the same consignment).
Then on Thursday 20th two more nurses and a physiotherapist had
similar symptoms and these also had eaten tongue on Tuesday the 18th. Two tongues
which had not been used were still in the kitchen refrigerator and these were taken for
investigation.
Faecal specimens from all these people grew a heavy culture of salmonella typhi
murium with a similar phage type—U163.
All the staff were off work until the diarrhoea had cleared and were then required
to produce three consecutive negative specimens; six negative specimens were required
in the case of catering staff. On 24th August the helper in the nursery for staff
children was found to have the same salmonella phage type and shortly after this
five children were found to have positive stools when all contacts were screened.
Some children were symptomless although producing positive specimens.
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