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67
Ophthalmia neonatorum
One patient, who was notified as suffering from this condition,
fully recovered after treatment at home. Information was also received
of two babies born to Kensington mothers in a hospital outside the borough,
who contracted the disease before discharge. One of these children has
recovered and the second was still undergoing treatment at the end of the
year.
Gastro-enteritis
This disease is notifiable in children up to the age of five
years. The number of cases reported during the year was seven. Three
were removed to hospital for treatment. One death of a child under five
years of age was recorded as due to gastritis, enteritis or diarrhoea
in 1959.
Scabies
The number of cases of scabies notified during 1959 was forty-two,
which compares with four hundred and sixty-three notified in the peak
year of 1946.
Tuberculosis
During the year one hundred and ninety-four new cases of
tuberculosis were notified, of which one hundred and seventy-two were
respiratory and twenty-two non-respiratory.

The system of investigation into the environmental conditions
of tuberculous patients continued during the year. All newly notified
cases and those cases transferring into Kensington or changing their address
in the borough, have been visited by the public health inspectors with the
objects of tracing the source of infection, preventing the spread of
infection and removing conditions favourable to infection. Particular
attention was given to the home conditions in addition to the dissemination
of advice to prevent the transmission of infection to contacts.
During the year, three hundred and fifty-five visits were paid