View report page

Report of Typhus Infected. Vessel.
s.s. "MONTE MONJUICH" (Spanish).
This vessel arrived at Gravesend at 8.10 p.m. , on the 17th August, 1949 off a
voyage from Melilla (Morocco) with a cargo of iron ore for Ford's Works at
Dagenham. She left Melilla on 9th August. Owing to shipping congestion following
the recent dock strike she anchored in Gravesend Reach for a few days before
proceeding to her berth.
She was boarded on arrival by the Boarding Medical Officer, and the Master
not only produced a clean Declaration of Health but assured him verbally that there
had been no sickness among the crew of 41 men.
On 21st August a message was brought by the waterman in attendance that a
member of the crew had a "fever" and the Medical Officer on duty went to the ship
to investigate. This was the patient 0.... He had a mild degree of fever and
no symptoms other than the pyrexia. He was prescribed for and a further visit from
the Medical Officer on duty arranged for the next day»
On 22nd August this man was seen again together with a second member of the
crew, P..... who had a high temperature and both patients were removed to Denton
Isolation Hospital for observation and treatment on this day. Blood films were
negative for Malaria.
Dr. Willoughby personally visited the ship with Mr® Beattie and found strong
evidence of rats on board together with a most insanitary state of affairs in the
pantry, stores, lavatories etc.
Examination of the current Deratisation Certificate showed a kill of over 400
rats at Balboa within the previous six months, after HCN fumigation. (En passant
the exposure was a short one of 2 - 4 hours only).
The ship proceeded to Dagenham and was there visited daily by lira Beattie, the
last time being a.m., on 25th August. In the afternoon a third patient, G
fell ill (he was well in the morning at the time of Mr. Beattie's visit) and was
removed to Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich later that day before the ship sailed,
empty of cargo, for the Bristol Channel.
The patients P. and 0.. in Denton Hospital ran high temperatures ,
had dirty tongues, enlarged spleens and slow dicrotic pulses. The temperature
exhibited "staircase" rises and eventually fell by lysis at the end of the second
reek.
One week after admission both had "rose spots", about a dozen spots only in
each case, on their chests and backs.
Clinically both were typical of fever of the Typhoid Group.
Blood, stools and urine were taken and dispatched to the laboratory at Greenwic
on 24th August and proved negative for Typhoid, Para-typhoid A and B, and negative
also for the Weil Felix reaction and Brucella abortus.
Further blood samples were taken on 28th August and gave l/200 Parao B (H)
positive in both patients, which, on further tests, on samples taken on 6th
September had risen to l/800 in the case of P.. and l/400 in 0 ..for
Para.B (H) and the Weil Felix reaction was still negative.
On arrival of the ship at Newport (Mon) two further cases had arisen and were
taken to hospital there where one gave a positive Weil Felix reaction..
On hearing this the Ministry of Health arranged for blood samples to be sent
to the Ministry's Virus Laboratory at Hendon and these were sent on 8th September,
together with a sample from the case in Greenwich Hospital.
All three were returned positive for Weil Felix OX 19 (typhus fever) on 10th
September;, and the case in Greenwich Hospital, G was transferred to Denton
(9)