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The meat was eaten at the evening meal and two hours later the mother and child
were ill and were removed to hospital for treatment. Another member of the family,
who had partaken of the food, was slightly ill, and the remaining member suffered
no ill effects.
Tinned oranges which had been purchased in Scotland over two months before
consumption was the food suspected as causing another small outbreak. It was
not possible to obtain for examination specimens of the food suspected.
Stuffing which contained duck egg and sausage meat was thought to have
caused another small outbreak. The stuffing was consumed with chicken, the
food was cooked and reheated the same day before being eaten that evening. Specimens
of the food were obtained for bacteriological examination and the report
disclosed the presence of salmonella organisms. Each member of the family experienced
some discomfort, but none of them was seriously ill.
Two members of another family who had both eaten a duck egg were slightly ill.
Of the nine individual cases of food poisoning notified during 1953, one case
of salmonella typhimurium was found, as a result of bacteriological examination.
In the other case, that of a girl aged four, the laboratory examination also disclosed
that the illness was due to salmonella typhimurium. Investigation failed to disclose
what food might have caused the food poisoning.
Public Health (Infectious Disease) Regulations, 1953.
These Regulations supersede Regulations made in 1927, and although in their
general substance the Regulations are similar to the old, in that they require notification
of malaria, dysentery, acute primary pneumonia and acute influenzal pneumonia,
and provide for preventive steps to be taken against the spread of certain
diseases specified in the regulations, there are important differences with regard to
the prevention of food poisoning.
Local authorities and their Medical Officers of Health were formerly limited
to preventing persons actually suffering from a disease continuing to work in an
occupation connected with the preparation and handling of food or drink. Their
preventive powers have now been widened in order to prevent any person connected
with the preparation or handling of food or drink, who is shown to be a carrier of
the disease, from continuing in such occupation. Sufferers and carriers can now be
prevented not only from continuing to work as food handlers, but also from entering
such an occupation. Under the 1927 Regulations, the prescribed steps could only
be taken after the Medical Officer of Health had reported the case concerned to the
local authority. In the new Regulations, whilst the same general principle has
been maintained (because action may involve the local authority in paying compensation
under the Public Health Act, 1936) there is provision to enable a local
authority to give its Medical Officer of Health an authorisation which will permit
him to take the prescribed action in a particular case, where it was urgent to prevent
spread of infection, without waiting to report it to the local authority, although he
is required to report it at the earliest opportunity.
The Borough Council has authorised me (or a Medical Officer acting on my
behalf) to take any such urgent action under these powers, subject to report to the
Council of any case dealt with under this authorisation.
Tuberculosis.
The number of primary notifications of tuberculosis (156) was a decrease of
39 on the previous year's total.
However, the register of cases in the Borough shows that at the end of the year
there were 1,598 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and 228 cases of non-pulmonary
tuberculosis, an increase of 58 in the number of cases on the register at the end
of 1952. This was accounted for by the additions to the register due to transfers
of patients from other areas.
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