DISEASE LADEN MILK.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 August 1919, Page 3

DISEASE LADEN MILK.

EPIDEMIC IN WELLINGTON. ENTER-IO FEVER OUTBREAK. 34: CASES IN 15 HOMES. An epidemic of enteric fever occurred reeentfily in Wellington. .Th[e City had previously been free from the disease for many years, and in an account of -the outbreak published in the Journal of Public Health, Dr_ H. Vtlatt, district health otfieer,,stated that infected niilk was found to be the agent of distribution. A “The first case was notified On April 23, “while within the succeeding fortnight 20 -additional cases were brought before the notice of the Health Department. The milk supply of the households from which the first two cases

were reported was the same, and as no case of onteric fever hau occurrefi in Wellington for some months previously suspicion was ‘aroused that the infection had been milkborno. Consequently an officer of tho 1)0p:1rt1uont visited the farm collcorTled, and made careful inquiry into the state of health of those handling the milk. It was found that of the three milkors at the f:11'n1 two were ncwcomc«rs, and for that reason could not be held a. ccountablo for the cases under im'cstigation. All three were in perfect health. Infornlufion was obtained. 11o\v0vm'. that :1 for--It'o:' C-mploycc‘ had been fol'coJ to give up \'.'ork on April 1 ,on account of an i‘lh!C—ss which had been ‘present 'fi_ol' n‘L-C-llt. :1 foz-fnigzht, ‘Hid of \\'hi(-.h the

symptoms were }lig;lfl._\f slxs]')i(ri«_:;:;< Hf on--I‘m'ic. fever. This indi\”u‘xu:nl was traced ‘:0 an institution in \V<-l‘.irl‘o_;t'oll, anJ

\*,'f‘.S subject fin T)octol‘i(aEr~._2;hi*a‘. oxaminaHon. when it wag c]:>:u"'::~' <~::<tablished

that’ he was just corfvalescent from an attack of cnteric fever, being still in a, highly infectious condition. He was promptly isolated and put on appropriate treatment. To ensure that no other focus of infection remained unrecognised, the other employee at the farm ,who had been in contact with thsi enteric patient, was examined bactveriologically, but with negative results.

~"‘Thil'ty-foul’ cases }{have occurred definitely attributable‘ «to this milk supply, 25 being prinmary and due to the ingestion of the contaminated milk, eight being secondary and due to infection from other cases in ithe household. The 34 cases, of whom 24 were female and 10 male, were distributed among 15 households in the following mallnei~:—Twa households, six cases each; one household, three cases; seven households, two cases each; live honseliolds, one case each; Owing‘ tovthe presence of influenza. and the similarity between the earlier stages of enteric efvcr and this disease, several of the cases were in the first instance notified as influenza.

“In addition to the 34 cases detailed aß’ove, three other cases were notified during the some period in Wellington City. One was 9. returned soldier who had been travelling throughout New Zealand, and who probably acquired his infection Outside of Wellington. The other two were inidviduals who were in the habit of having meals in any restaurant or hotel, and may therefore have partaken of some of the infected milk.”