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36
readily have had its origin not as household contact but as a visitor
to a household.
It is clear that difficult though the control of ordinary cases may
be insofar as contacts cannot be immobilised on the relative off-chance
of their becoming ill, even if this could be done, the problem is far
from solved because the movements of carriers, convalescent or otherwise
and 'missed' cases, will remain a source of potential and inevitable
danger.
It may be a source of very modified consolation to reflect that
if this were not the case the resistance of many might be at a lower
ebb and hence the disease might be even more widespread and dangerous
than is at present the case.
Food Poisoning.
Seven cases were notified during the year as against two for the
previous year and one of these cases only was hospitalised and that
for a short period.
A small outbreak, involving three persons was brought to our
notice and fully investigated. The material thought to be infected
was boiled ham, contaminated unwittingly possibly by a human
handler under conditions of a good average working type. Concerted
action succeeded in clearing up the possible human source. The
amount of infected material was small and the sufferers recovered
well and reasonably quickly.
The outbreak was interesting also in that a portion of the suspected
material was made available for investigation when the outbreak was
made known to us.
The incidence of food poisoning bears some relation to the subject
of food hygiene. We are of course armed legally to deal with defections
in the preparation, distribution, etc. of food. Whilst undoubtedly
the unremitting diligence of our staff and the food trade
staffs allied to the increasing public interest in the question of clean
food is raising the general standard, it would be unwarranted to suggest
that any dramatic change has come over the situation as a whole.
Public watchfulness and individual action on the part of members of
the public constitute the least expensive and most efficacious safeguards
for ensuring high standards of food preparation and distribution.
Unfortunately few of us really have the courage of our convictions
for if we acted as much as we talked about clean food standards there
would be a lot less work for the staff of a Public Health Department to
do. Far too much food is handled far too often and far too unnecessarily.
Foods in shops appear often to be picked up, cut, weighed
and then placed in wrappers by hand. Other susceptible foods are
placed where any customer can breathe over them. A lick of the
finger to separate the top of an obstinate wrapper is accepted as a
commonplace.
These are things which happen in public and every day and yet
I am sure that all too seldom is comment made about them. You
have spent a considerable amount of money issuing clean food notices
to food traders in respect of dogs entering the premises but whilst
this is of undoubted value it tends to place rather out of perspective
by far the major danger which arises not from canines but from humans.