London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bexley 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bexley]
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Fortunately the majority of travellers from abroad are most co-operative and accept the inconvenience
surveillance imposes cheerfully and willingly.
The number of persons from abroad kept under surveillance each year during the five year period was as follows:—From 1st April
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 8 | 17 | 9 | 2 |
ENTERIC FEVER SURVEILLANCE
In this country, thanks to the careful attention given in the past to the provision of safe water
supplies and efficient sewage disposal measures, the enteric group of fevers had become rare in this
country. In many of the European and Mediterranean countries which are now popular with
holiday makers, lower standards of hygiene exist and the enteric group of fevers is still common.
The danger to holiday-makers arises from the fact that a proportion of sufferers from these
diseases fully recover but, although apparently well, become carriers of the causative organism
which they continue to excrete for long periods, in some cases for life. These carriers can contaminate
water supplies where sewage disposal and water control are inadequate or non-existent
and if employed in food handling, can contaminate food if their standards of personal hygiene are
less than perfect.
Countries from which cases or contacts in Bexley have occurred in recent years are Tunisia, Balearic Islands, France and Spain. The number of cases and contacts under surveillance were as follows : —
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Contacts | 7 | 5 | — | 15 | 29 |
In the above table the contacts in some instances related to the Bexley cases, in others the cases
resided outside Bexley but the contacts were in the same holiday party and had been exposed to
similar risk of infection.
The 1969 cases are of interest. Two Bexley residents had been on holiday in Tunisia with a
party staying at the same hotel and were among eight members who became infected.
The other two cases were small immigrant children, one of whom was admitted to two hospitals
before a diagnosis of typhoid fever was made, leading to a large number of hospital contacts (27 in
one hospital and 58 in the other).
All contacts are investigated and any who are food handlers by occupation are not permitted to
handle food until laboratory examination has shown them and other family or close contacts to be
free from infection.
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