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Three cases and some suspected cases came under treatment in Denton Hospital ;
of the latter only one was a case of serious illness and suspicion. Of the three cases of
Plague one died and two recovered.
One member of the crew under surveillance outside the Port Sanitary District was
taken ill after leaving the ship, on the 29th May, and died of Plague on 2nd June.
A total of 172 rats were found dead on the ship at Gravesend before and after
fumigation ; the death of 103 of these is ascribable to the rat plague existing on board.
One of the ship's cats was found to have been affected by Plague and was
recovering at the time it was caught and killed.
Ninety-seven rats were trapped or found dead on the voyage.
The ship was completely fumigated, after discharge of cargo on the 2nd June, by
means of the Clayton apparatus.
The circumstances of the outbreak of Plague on the s.s. "Somali" were
communicated in a technical report to the Local Government Board on the 23th June.
s.s. " Hector," crew 59, arrived at Gravesend on August 8th from Calcutta
via Suez.
Four cases of Plague was removed to Denton Hospital on the 8th, having been
first taken ill on July 27th and 31st, August the 3rd and 5th, respectively. A fifth
case was taken ill on the 15th on board and was removed to Denton Hospital.
All five cases ended in recovery.
At Port Said about the 12th July some dozen dead rats were thrown out from the
poop space and food store. No significance was attached to the finding of dead rats.
The cargo was not attractive to rats and the holds were correspondingly free, the
store room in the poop was the focus of infection.
The steward, steward's boy, and three inhabitants of the poop were the only
persons affected.
One half the crew was paid off and put under "surveillance": direct contacts and
the remainder of the crew were retained on board under "observation."
The total notifications, inclusive of ship workers, were 173 in number.
Very few rats were found after fumigation; the total found dead on discharge of
cargo was sixteen.
The facts were fully and technically reported to the Local Government Board.