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Of the three family outbreaks one concerned a mother and two children,
the causative agent of which was not discovered. In another, six persons
had lunch at a private house; shortly afterwards four were taken ill and
were removed to hospital. Prompt notification by the general practitioner
enabled food specimens to be obtained by the public health inspector;
laboratory examination revealed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus
in a ham bone and phage typing indicated this to be associated with a
food poisoning strain. The source of infection was not determined. In
the third family outbreak a party of four, together with a friend, had a
meal at home, following which three were taken ill at later intervals.
Faecal specimens were positive for Salmonella typhimurium. Investigation
did not reveal the source of infection and, other than emphasising the
extreme care necessary to personal hygiene by all concerned, no further
action could be taken.
Typhoid Fever
In May-June 1964 an outbreak of typhoid fever occurred in Aberdeen.
Altogether 487 persons were admitted to hospital, of whom some 450 cases
were confirmed as suffering from typhoid.
The outbreak was thought to be associated with cold cooked meat
purchased from one store in Aberdeen, where much of the trade was in
corned beef.
On 3rd June, 1964, a communication was received from the Chief
Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, giving details of markings on
6-lb. cans of corned beef which had been processed in South America
during a certain, period when raw river water was stated to have been
used for cooling the cans after treatment. The Ministry advised that all
stocks of corned beef at food premises should be examined to ascertain
whether they bore certain code marks which had been notified to local
authorities, and that any such stocks found should be returned by the
proprietors to their wholesale suppliers. Accordingly, all public health
inspectors were immediately taken off their normal routine duties so that
they could visit all food and catering establishments in Westminster, to
advise the managements and to search for stocks of corned beef which
might be contaminated. In addition a circular letter was sent to each
such establishment giving details of the markings concerned.
Subsequently, five further circulars were received from the Chief
Medical Officer on the subject, with information of other markings on
6-lb. tins which might be suspect, and the inspectorate made further
visits.
In. all 6,656 circular letters were despatched to proprietors of food
and catering establishments in the City, and some 3,500 visits were made
to these establishments by the public health inspectors. During the course
of these visits 190 cans of corned beef bearing the appropriate code mark(3103)
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