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Infective Diseases.
21
Enteric and Para-Typhoid Fever.
52 cases and five deaths of the above occurred.
The death rate was .01 per 1,000.
43 of the cases were true Enteric Fever and nine were Paratyphoid
Fever.
32 of the true cases of Enteric Fever were reported during
the months of October and November when a localised outbreak
occurred in Streatham which involved a total of 34 cases (two
of whom resided outside the Borough) and three deaths.
The cause of the outbreak was traced to the milk supply
which became infected by a woman assisting in the milk business
who was found to be a "carrier" of the disease, though herself
in good health.
On the 19th October, two cases were notified to me from
one household and on the 2lst I was called in consultation to
see three patients in another family who had been ill for some
days. All three were found to be suffering from Typhoid Fever.
Both these families obtained their milk supply from the same
source.
About 12 gallons of milk were sold daily from this milk shop,
and 49 houses were supplied by a round from the shop. The
milk was served in bottles which were cleansed and filled on the
premises. A small quantity of milk was also sold in the shop
from a pan on the counter. The supply to the milkshop was
obtained from another purveyor in the Borough who was supplied
by nine different farms.
The business was conducted by the purveyor who was assisted
in the shop by his wife, but at a later date I was told that a roundsman
had been helping in the business and was sent home sick
on the 15th October. I also discovered that the proprietor's
wife had assisted with the filling of the bottles, especially when
the roundsman was not at work.
Both the purveyor and his wife stated that they had been in
good health for a long time and had had no illness recently. Three
other persons then residing in the house who were not associated
with the milk business, also gave a history of freedom from illness.