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poisoning became compulsorily notifiable in Ilford as from 1st October,
1937. It is also notifiable under Section 17, Food and Drugs Act, 1938.
Twenty-five notifications were received during the year.
There were no serious outbreaks of food poisoning. Two outbreaks
occurred involving six persons, but the cause was not discovered. There
were also nineteen single cases reported; the agent being identified in nine
instances as Salmonella Typhi-murium. Seven other suspected instances
were investigated but no specific cause was discovered and no notifications
were received.
A Report on Winter Vomiting (1955) by Dr. D. M. Gross.
"There have been 3 known outbreaks of 'Winter Vomiting' during
the early spring.
At Parkhill School in February, 29 children and 2 members of the
staff are known to have been affected. At Highlands School in March, 28
children and 2 members of the staff had symptoms and at the Ilford
Maternity Hospital a slight outbreak involved 1 patient and 5 staff.
These outbreaks followed closely the usual pattern. Children and
grown-ups complained of sudden nausea and vomiting occasionally accompanied
by diarrhoea. The illness lasted a few hours or at most a day,
many children waking in the night to be sick but being well enough to
attend school the next day. In a few cases (6 at Parkhill) other members
of the family were affected. All pathological examinations were negative
and food was not incriminated anywhere (only 16 children at Parkhill had
school dinners).
The short duration of symptoms made investigation difficult as the
patients had recovered by the time the epidemics were reported, but it
would appear that a mildly spreading infection was responsible. At Highlands
it seems likely that it was introduced by the Head Teacher's secretary
who was the first affected and who, from the nature of her work,
could have handed it on to the other children and staff. At the Maternity
Hospital, it is possible that the patient was already infected on admission
and in turn infected the staff.
At Parkhill School the 31 cases complained of vomiting only and no
hint of a possible source of infection was obtained. No family contacts
were involved."
(ix) Bakehouses.—There are 26 bakehouses in the district, all of
which use motive power. 517 inspections of bakehouses were carried out
during the year.
It was necessary to call upon the occupiers of bakehouses to carry out
cleansing and other work in 16 instances, and the requests were complied
with in all but one case, where work was in progress.
Diseases of Animals Act, 1950.
(i) Foot and Mouth Disease (Infected Areas) Special Order No. 7,
1954. This Order came into operation on 21.2.54 and restricted the movement
of animals, except under licence, to and from parts of Bedfordshire,
Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Licences were issued for the removal
to Herts. from Ilford of 5 pigs. The Order was revoked on 15.3.54.
(ii) The Foot and Mouth Disease (Controlled and Infected Areas)
(Modification of Restrictions) (Revocation) Order. 1954.—This Order
revoked the Foot and Mouth Disease (Controlled and Infected Areas)
(Modification of Restrictions) Orders of 1941 and 1943, which authorised
the movement of animals under licence to collecting centres in Infected
Areas and from collecting centres in Controlled and Infected Areas to
slaughterhouses and bacon factories for immediate slaughter. As from
1.7.54 there are no longer any collecting centres authorised by the Minister
of Food.
(iii) Regulation of Movement of Swine Order, 1950.—One licence
was received for entry into the Borough of 10 pigs. The animals were
satisfactorily isolated.
(iv) Regulation of Movement of Swine Order, 1954.—This Order
prescribes that no sale of swine shall be held in any market, fairground or
saleyard unless it is authorised by the Local Authority and places restrictions
on the movement of swine from any live weight certification centrc,