In 1900, she worked in Mamaroneck, New York, where within two weeks of her employment, residents developed typhoid fever. Career įrom 1900 to 1907, Mallon worked as a cook in the New York City area for eight families, seven of whom contracted typhoid. She lived with her aunt and uncle for a time and worked as a maid, but eventually became a cook for affluent families. At the age of 15, she emigrated from Ireland to the United States. Presumably, she was born with typhoid fever because her mother was infected during pregnancy. Mary Mallon was born in 1869 in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland. Her popular nickname has since gained currency as a term for persons who spread disease or other misfortune, not always aware that they are doing so. Mallon died after a total of nearly 30 years in isolation. Because of that, she was twice forcibly quarantined by authorities, eventually for the final two decades of her life. She persisted in working as a cook and thereby exposed others to the disease. She was the first person in the United States identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella typhi. The infections caused three confirmed deaths, with unconfirmed estimates of up to 50. Mary Mallon (Septem– November 11, 1938), commonly known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish-born American cook believed to have infected between 51 and 122 people with typhoid fever.
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