Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, was quarantined on March 27, 1915.
Here are a few things you might not know about Typhoid Mary, the first person identified as a healthy carrier of typhoid fever:
One: She worked as a cook for eight families in New York before her first quarantine, seven of the families had outbreaks of typhoid fever while she worked there. Following that quarantine, she returned to work as a cook and infected dozens more people.
Two: She admitted to poor hand-washing hygiene. In addition to refusing to wash her hands, she refused to stop working as a cook and changed her name at least once to continue working.
Three: She spent the last 23 of her life in quarantine on North Brother Island, located in the East River between The Bronx and Rikers Island. She died in 1935, six years after suffering a paralyzing stroke. An autopsy found she had live typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder.
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