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Food Poisoning
Forty-six cases of food poisoning were notified during the year.
The following is a copy of the annual return submitted to the
Ministry of Health
1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Total
4 27 2 13 46
Outbreaks due to Identified Agents.
Total Outbreaks 1 Total Cases 2
(Salmonella Typhi-murium)
Outbreaks of Undiscovered Cause.
Total Outbreaks 9 Total Cases 24
Single Cases.
Agent identified 4 Unknown Cause 16 Total 20
(Salmonella Typhi-murium 2)
(Salmonella Heidelberg 1)
(Salmonella Enteritidis 1)
All the outbreaks were confined to individual families. In five
outbreaks two members of the family were notified, in four outbreaks
three members and in one outbreak four members of the
family.
A suspected outbreak of food poisoning occurred at a local
factory with between three and four thousand employees. About
200 persons were affected. Exhaustive enquiries by this department
and the medical department at the factory failed to ieveal
the cause. At least 33 different foods were available for employees
at the material time; investigations ruled out lunch as being
the source of infection. Tea-breaks occurred in the morning and
afternoon and food was obtained from a trolley service and the
canteens.
Twenty-six swabs were submitted for bacteriological examination;
all were negative. The times of onset of symptoms varied;
the following were the times of onset in 140 cases :—
1-6 hours 7-11 hours 12-20 hours
19 16 105
The main symptoms were abdominal pain, diarrhoea and
vomiting. In most cases the persons recovered within 24 hours.
Undoubtedly in more or less every case the affected person
was treated at the factory's medical department. Not a single
notification of food poisoning was received by me nor, as far as
I am aware, by medical officers of health in the neighbouring
districts in which many of the employees live.
Dysentery
Sixty-seven cases of dysentery were notified during the year;
of these 41 were due to Shigella Sonnei. 35 of the cases were
children attending school ; these were distributed as follows :—
At each of 2 schools 6 cases
,, „ „ 3 3 „
„ ,, „ 2 2 „
,, 10 schools 1 ,,
30