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Salmonella Infections, not food-borne Nil
The small outbreak (three cases) in which CI. Welchii was identified as the agent
occurred at the canteen of a local bakery; 65 employees used the canteen. Faecal swabs
from five employees were submitted for examination; three were positive. A portion of
braising steak, the suspected food, was submitted for examination but the result was
negative.
An outbreak of sonnei dysentery occurred at a Junior and Infants School and
extended from the middle of January until the end of March. Many of the children
attending the school lived in an adjoining district. Swabbing revealed that 47 Dagenham
children were affected and 63 from the adjoining district. At the time of the outbreak
a number of children were absent from school (mumps and colds were prevalent); where
the cause of absence was not known with certainty an inspector visited the homes. All
children suffering from diarrhoea were excluded from school and faecal swabs submitted
for examination; a school nurse attended the school each morning. Arrangements were
made for a routine practice of disinfection in respect of sanitary conveniences and the
importance of hand washing was stressed.
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