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of the same family, a child of five and then his brother of seventeen
months falling ill a week later; S. typhimurium was recovered from both.
In April there was one single case and in May two single cases, all infected
by S. typhimurium. Towards the end of May, in the course of four days,
an illness due to S. typhimurium which started in a child of four, spread
to two other children and to his parents. In July there were two single
cases from neither of which were food poisoning organisms recovered.
Then followed another family outbreak due to S. typhimurium which
started in a child of four months and spread in three weeks to his mother
and then in three days to his brother. In August and in September there
were single cases from whom no organisms were recovered. In September,
a child of seven months in a local residential children's nursery free from
symptoms, was found to have S. Brandenberg in his stools. This is an
organism commonly found associated with sausage, not a usual article of
diet of an infant of this age. In October there was a single case in which
no organisms were recovered. Of the four family outbreaks then, S.
typhimurium was responsible for three. Of the nine single cases, S. typhimurium
was recovered from three. The organisms were examined at the Colindale
Laboratory and were typed. Type 12a was recovered most commonly.
Five of the notifications were received in the first quarter of the year,
eight in the second, five in the third and two in the fourth.
Meat as a Cause of Food Poisoning. The Annual Report of the
Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health for the year 1960 referred
to the fact that in spite of the raised standards of food hygiene, the
predominance of meat and meat products as the vehicle in food poisoning
shows no signs of decreasing. Over 80% of outbreaks and family outbreaks
(950 incidents) during the period 1955 to 1959 were associated
with meat. In 280 of these incidents, the cause of organism was not
identified. Of the remaining 670 incidents, 74 (11%) were due to
salmonellae, 209 (32%) to staphylococci and 348 (54%) to C1. Welchii.
C1. Welchii incidents are almost always associated with partial cooking
of meat dishes (stews, pies, joints) the day before consumption. Slow
cooling and insufficient cooking prior to service allow multiplication of
the organisms. A staphylococcus food poisoning incident is usually due
to human contamination of the food vehicle. Hand-washing is of paramount
importance in preventing such contamination.
ERYSIPELAS
This disease, once such a scourge especially in hospital wards and one
which caused so many deaths, has long since ceased to be one of public
health importance. As one of the diseases notifiable under the original
Notification of Infectious Diseases Act, it remains notifiable. Today, it
is of importance only in such circumstances as there being a patient in a
house in which an expectant mother is due to be confined. The causative
organism, a streptococcus, which is related to that which causes scarlet
fever, can also cause severe puerperal infection.