[Report 1970] / Medical Officer of Health, Benfleet U.D.C., Canvey Island U.D.C., Rayleigh U.D.C., Rochford R.D.C. (South East Essex).

  • Benfleet (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1970
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1970] / Medical Officer of Health, Benfleet U.D.C., Canvey Island U.D.C., Rayleigh U.D.C., Rochford R.D.C. (South East Essex). Source: Wellcome Collection.

    79/96 (page 77)
    Between May and September of this year, there has been, in South-East Essex and Southend, a moderate outbreak of food poisoning due to Salmonella panama. It seems probab]e that the original infection, directly or indirectly, was caused by ham cooked at and supplied to a supermarket chain operating in South-East Essex by a bacon factory in Suffolk. This factory supplies ham, sausages and certain other cooked or prepared meats to a number of supermarkets and to the Essex County Council Supplies Department. Remedial measures have been taken at the factory and it is now under close supervision but it is of interest that the ham consumed at Albert Jones Court at breakfast on Wednesday, 16th September, and the sausages consumed for tea on Thursday, 17th September, were supplied by this factory. In addition to the cases among the residents, there was one further case; this was an old gentleman of 82 who suffered from epilepsy and diabetes. In his case, diarrhoea, epilepsy and coma coincided on Monday night, 21st September, the diarrhoea and coma continuing through his admission to Rochford General Hospital on 22nd September, until his death on 25th September. It is, of course, difficult to say whether the diarrhoea was due to infection or to the diabetes. I would add that the Bacteriologist has examined, in addition to the original packet of Savoury Mince, two further packets which proved negative and two samples of cooked ham which proved negative.” On later consideration, I am inclined to think that the link with the bacon factory is not significant. It seems most probable that this was a series of cases of food poisoning due to Clostridium welchii. Tuberculosis The following table shows the position for the year 1970. Number of cases on register at 1st January ... 144 New cases notified ... 8 Transfers into area ... 4 156 Number recovered ... 4 Number moved away ... 1 Died ... 3 148 Of the eight new cases notified, five were young adults, one in middle life and two were pensioners. All except one were males. Notification rate was 2.0 per 10,000 population. This is just a little higher than last year. Two of the deaths were attributed to tuberculosis. The third was a maternal death.