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85
ENTERIC FEVER
When the fever hospitals were opened in the last quarter of the last
century, those admitted were persons suffering from scarlet fever, diphtheria
and enteric fever. In those days the enteric fever was the water-borne
typhoid fever. With the improvements in water supplies, this infection has
become steadily less and these days most of those in this country who
suffer from typhoid fever have contracted their infection from abroad.
Apart from them, most of those notified as suffering from enteric fever
are suffering from one of the forms of paratyphoid fever. Although this
can be conveyed by water, it is more especially a food-borne infection.
Up to a few years ago. it could be expected that a few persons living in this
district would be notified as suffering from enteric fever. There were none
though in 1958 or in 1959. In 1960 there were two notifications, both
relating to boys who had probably contracted their infection while at
holiday resorts in this country. In this last year, there were two cases. The
first was a girl of ten who had paratyphoid fever. The organism was one
which had been found in part of the country to be associated with
coconut. Coconut had been used in this girl's house but samples examined
did not disclose the organism. The other patient was a girl of thirteen in
whom the diagnosis was made because of an altered blood titre, the
organisms not being recovered.
Typhoid fever is one of the infections in which the sufferers might
develop a carrier state, either urinary or foecal. In March a lady was
notified as being a carrier of paratyphoid fever. It was learned she was an
assistant cook at a restaurant in the district. Pending further enquiries
she was asked to absent herself from work. It seems that when living in
another district she had an attack of paratyphoid fever early in 1960. She
was discharged after some weeks in hospital. In November she had a
gastro-intestinal attack. This led to the bacteriological examination of
faeces and to the discovery of the organism. At their meeting on the 28th
March, the Public Health Committee decided that she should not be
engaged in any trade or business concerned with the preparation or
handling of food or drink for human consumption and it was agreed she
be compensated under the provisions of the Public Health (Infectious
Diseases) Regulations 1927 and S.308 of the Public Health Act, 1875.
Intensive treatment at home failed to free her. She was then admitted to
hospital for further medical treatment. Although specimens of faeces
were yielded which were free from organisms, on further sampling they
were found again. She was discharged home and agreed to be admitted to
another hospital for surgical treatment. The position at the end of the year
was that she was to be admitted for this early in the new year. In the
meantime, she had been receiving each week the same payment as she had
been having from her employers when she was engaged as a cook.