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49
After-care work amongst discharged cases of Diphtheria, similar to that
mentioned in the Annual Report for 1918, was continued during 1919. The
same remark applies to the examination of household contacts with nasal
discharge, with a view to the discovery of the nasal cases of the disease,
which are probably responsible for a good deal of its spread.
Return Cases.—(Definition: A case of Diphtheria occurring within 28 days
of the return from hospital to the same house of a previous case of Diphtheria).
There were two such cases in 1919 in two houses. In one the (P) infecting case
had rhinitis and showed diphtheria bacilli, and the return case (in a different
family in the same house) developed Diphtheria 6 days after its return. In the
other instance the cases were in one family, the interval was 5 days, and the
(?) infecting case had slight rhinitis. There was also a "return cage" of
Diphtheria where the interval was 40 days. In this the (?) infecting case had
suffered from Diphtheria and Scarlet Fever and had no discharges, and the
"return case" was in the same family.
In two instances cases of Diphtheria occurred a few days after the return
from hospital to the same family of a case of Scarlet Fever. In both
instances the (?) infecting case (S.F.) had rhinitis showing Diphtheria bacilli,
and in one instance otorrhœa also. The return cas s occurred 5 days and 14
days respectively after the return of the corresponding S.F. cases.
TYPHOID FEVER.
7 cases of Typhoid Fever were notified during 1919, of which 2 died, the
case mortality being 29 per cent.
Of these 5 were treated in Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospitals, 1 in a
general hospital, and 1 at home.
In one case the infection was contracted while the patient was in New
York or on board an Atlantic liner, and in no other case could the source of
infection be traced. One of the patients was a nurse.