London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
East Ham 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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22
FOOD POISONING
In accordance with Ministry of Health Circular 46/49, the following information was supplied:-
(1) (a) Food Poisoning Notifications (Corrected) Return to Registrar-General:-
| 1958 | 1959 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | 10 | 5 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | 46 | 2 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | 35 | 11 | ||
| 4th Quarter | 6 | 4 | ||
| Total | 97 | 22 | ||
| (b) | Cases Otherwise Ascertained | Nil | Nil | |
| (c) | Symptomless Excreters | Nil | Nil | |
| (d) | Fatal Cases | Nil | Nil | |
(2) Particulars of Outbreaks
TABLE 12
| YEAR | Number of Outbreaks | Number of Cases | Total no. of Cases | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Outbreaks | Other Outbreaks | Notified | Otherwise Ascertained | |||
| Agent Identified as "CLOSTRIDIUM WELCHII" | 1958 | - | 3 | 33 | - | 33 |
| ,, ,, | 1959 | - | 2 | 15 | - | 15 |
| Agent Not Identified | 1958 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1959 | - | - | - | - | - | |
(3) Single Cases
The various organisms Identified in each case as the cause of illness were:-
| 1958 | 1959 | |
|---|---|---|
| Salmonella Typhi-Murium | 53 | 3 |
| Salmonella Derby | 10 | - |
| E. Coli Type 0.119 | 1 | - |
| Staphylococci (including Toxin) | - | 3 |
| Salmonella Blockley | - | 1 |
| 64 | 7 |
It would be as well to recapitulate here the time honoured advice given to housewives and all
who participate in the handling, preparation, packing, selling and storing of food.
There are two basic principles in prevention of food poisoning,
(i) To maintain a high standard of personal hygiene.
(ii) To take precautions against the contamination of food during processing or storage.
Protect food and utensils from contamination by flies or refuse.
Wash food containers thoroughly.
Foods, particularly meats and groceries, if not eaten immediately after preparation,
must be refrigerated.