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93
Non-Resident Cases.
During the year 25 cases of Smallpox were removed irom the OutPatient
Department of Poplar Hospital—all residents of West Ham.
The majority of these cases were seen by the Medical Officer of Health
or an Assistant.
I desire to record our appreciation of the vigilance exercised by the
staff at Poplar Hospital in dealing with suspected cases.
Action taken.
Each case was removed to hospital at once. The home contacts
were removed to the Council's Shelter, where they were disinfected,
examined, offered vaccination or re-vaccination, and returned after the
house had been disinfected, in accordance with the suggestions contained
in Memo. 71a (Med.) of the Ministry of Health, dated November, 1922.
Following upon a report which was submitted to the Public Health
Committee and forwarded to the Ministry of Health the Ministry approved
certain modified procedure which was put into force in December.
318 houses have been disinfected.
2,708 persons removed and disinfected.
69,418 articles, including beds, bedding and clothing, removed and
disinfected.
The question of providing a special vehicle for the conveyance of
contacts to the Council's Shelter was considered early in the year, and a
special ambulance type of vehicle was provided.
Contacts.—During the year, no less than 7,829 contacts have
been kept under observation; the total visits paid by the Sanitary
Inspectors to those resident or employed in the Borough numbered 26,741.
Of the 7,154 contacts resident in Poplar only 1,185 were vaccinated or
re-vaccinated. In addition to following up contacts, 698 house-to-house
inspections have been carried out in affected areas. Leaflets have been left
at each house explaining the symptoms of Smallpox, and urging the
necessity for seeking medical advice should eruptions appear, and also
urging vaccination or re-vaccination.