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Food Poisoning
Only three notifications of food poisoning were received during the year.
The organism identified in one of these cases was Salmonella St. Paul, but no
bacterial origin was ascertained in the other cases. One other case, notified
as dysentery, was later confirmed as food poisoning - organism Salmonella Typhimurium.
In April and May respectively, reports were received from two schools in
the Borough of an unusual number of absentees through stomach disorders. In
one school a full bacteriological survey was made of all the food handlers as
school meals had been suggested as a source of this illness, but the results
obtained did not suggest that this had been the case. In the other school the
proportion of sick children and staff taking school meals was only about 50% of
the total sick, and full investigations of food handlers did not appear to be
called for.
Gastro-enteritis
During late March, an outbreak of gastro-enteritis amongst the babies in
the Mother and Baby Home in Barrowgate Road required special investigation and
a temporary stoppage on admissions to the Home. Continuous observations and
bacteriological investigations were made and the Home was pronounced clear of
infection on 16th May, 1958.
Dysentery
Sixteen persons were notified as suffering from dysentery, one case was
subsequently diagnosed as food poisoning - Salmonella Typhi-murium. Specimens
of faeces were obtained from all contacts of these cases. Although in four
instances more than one member of the family was infected, there was no spread
and this says much for the hygiene of the families concerned since Sonne Dysentery
unfortunately is extremely easy to pass on to other people.
Influenza
Towards the end of 1957 observations were being kept on the sickness statistics
from the Ministry of Labour, the schools attendances and the reports of
General Practitioners because of an outbreak of influenza which appeared to be
drifting towards this country from the East.
This virulent type of influenza had not been traced in any case in the
Borough at the end of that year, but for the first three months of 1958 the
danger was still to be reckoned with, and the number of beds available in hospital
during the first two months became very limited. Admissions of cases of
influenza and bronchitis were high, but the real virulent "A" type of virus did
not develop in any case and the situation cleared up by March of 1958.
Towards the end of the year it was felt that the poor resistance of the
public to colds and mild infections, because of the lack of sunshine during the
summer, might cause influenza to spread rapidly if it appeared and special watch
was again maintained for the illness. Health education was directed towards
the avoidance of influenza.
Tuberculosis
The number of notifications of tuberculosis in 1958 was 76 as compared with
78 in the previous year, the pulmonary cases amounting to 67 and the non-pulmonary
to 9. The number of deaths from this disease was seven. Deaths from
tuberculosis were four in 1957, six in 1956, seven in 1955 and four in 1954.
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