1910s typhoid epidemic

The 1916 typhoid epidemic was a particularly bad year in a long cycle of high rates of typhoid in Birmingham. In the years leading up to 1916, the city reported 70 to 100 deaths from the disease each year, making it the worst city of its size in the United States for typhoid cases.

Between June 1 and July 18, 1916, 451 cases of typhoid were reported in the city. At the invitation of Birmingham City Commissioner John Hornady, a federal expert, C. C. Lumsden, came that month to the city , along with two other federal investigators, to study the cause of the rate of infection.

They discovered that more than half of the people infected had ingested a single brand of ice cream, and were able to trace the milk used by the manufacturer to a particular dairy whose operation lacked proper sanitation practices. Insufficient inspection of food supplies was reported as the most significant problem that could be addressed.

Their report also advised that the widespread use of spring and well water and dry closets made the city more prone to outbreaks than those with better access to treated water and sanitary sewer systems. In addition to sanitation efforts, vaccination campaigns were initiated by the Jefferson County Medical Society. 15,000 were vaccinated before 1916, and a campaign to vaccinate African Americans was to begin that year.

References

• "Birmingham Typhoid Caused by Ice Cream" (August 3, 1916) Municipal Journal. Vol. 41, No. 5