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During the year a total of 1,855 home visits were made by
tuberculosis visitors, of which 561 were first visits.
A reference to the work of the Chest Clinics and to the activities
of the Tuberculosis Care Committees will be found on pages 76
to 79.
Typhoid Fever
Three confirmed cases of typhoid fever occurred during the year,
two of which were brothers aged 7 and 9 years who had recently
arrived in this country by air from India where it was thought
they had first become infected.
Both boys attended a local school during the week prior to
admission to hospital and class contacts at the school were therefore
bacteriologically examined. Health precautions were immediately
taken at the school and the homes of children who had been
in contact with the patients. In all, 47 contacts were examined and
kept under surveillance and all were found to be in good health.
The third case arose in a private Old People's Welfare Home
in the Borough. A woman domestic aged 54 years contracted the
disease and an investigation of residents and staff at the Home
revealed that one of the male residents was a carrier of the disease.
This man was immediately removed to hospital.
It is well known that persons who have had typhoid fever in
the past may intermittently excrete the typhoid germ and the Health
Department closely follows up notified cases of typhoid fever with
this in mind. It was considered likely that the domestic assistant
had contracted the disease from the resident who was a carrier
and this was confirmed by a test which showed that the germs
isolated from these two persons were identical.