View report page

26
GASTRO-ENTERITIS OUTBREAK.
Zymotic Enteritis is a notifiable disease in this Borough, from 1st
June to 30th September, each year.
During the five weeks ended 31st July, 238 cases were notified.
The majority of these cases occurred during the two weeks ended 17th
and 24th July, and were confined to a small area in the Bromley South
and Bromley Central Wards.
As there was apparently something unusual in the outbreak, the
Ministry of Health was communicated with at once, and house-to-house
visits in the area carried out. Particular attention was directed to the
food and water supplies. Samples of food, discharges from several
patients, and blood specimens were sent to the Pathological Laboratory
of the Ministry of Health.
So far as the germ of food poisoning was concerned, all the samples
gave negative results. Numerous samples of water were examined by
the bacteriologist of the Metropolitan Water Board. A Medical Officer
of the Ministry of Health investigated the outbreak, and was afforded all
available information and assistance. He was accompanied by Officers
of this Department when conducting his enquiries into the possible cause
of the outbreak. His official report has not yet been published.
FISH POISONING.
On receipt of information from a medical practitioner that he had
two cases of Zymotic Enteritis which he thought might be due to fish
poisoning, enquiries were made at two houses and it was ascertained
that eight persons were suffering with similar symptoms, evidently
due to fish poisoning. Five cases were admitted into St. Andrew's
Hospital. Samples of faecal matter from the patients were immediately
forwarded to the Ministry of Health Pathological Laboratory,
and the Government bacteriologist reported that he had isolated the
aertrycke bacillus, the commonest salmonella in cases of food
poisoning. The outbreak was traced to fish from a common source of
supply. All the patients recovered.