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Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
Seven cases of ophthalmia neonatorum were notified during
the year. The instillation of penicillin drops in the treatment of
this disease has brought about vastly improved results. There
was no case of blindness resulting from ophthalmia neonatorum
in 1949.
Puerperal Pyrexia.
Ante-natal supervision of pregnant women and the delivery
of infants with adequate precautions against infection
have resulted in a considerable decrease in the number of
notifications of puerperal pyrexia in recent years ; such notifications
numbered 29 in 1949. Deaths from puerperal pyrexia
numbered 2. The satisfactory decline in deaths from this
cause is largely due to the discovery of the sulphonamides and
penicillin.
Pneumonia.
Only the acute primary and acute influenzal forms of this
disease are notifiable and cases notified during 1949 numbered
48 and 29 respectively. Deaths from all forms of pneumonia
numbered 103.
Food Poisoning.
Section 17 (1) of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, provides
that if a medical practitioner suspects that a patient whom lie is
attending is suffering from food poisoning, he shall forthwith
send to the Medical Officer of Health a certificate stating (a)
the name, age, sex and address of the patient and (b) particulars
of the food poisoning from which he is, or is suspected to be,
suffering.
The purpose of such notification is to enable prompt steps to
be taken to investigate all the circumstances, with a view to
endeavouring to identify the causative agent and prevent the
possibility of further cases occurring. It is of maximum importance,
therefore, that information should reach the Medical
Officer of Health speedily, preferably by telephonic communication.
As the result of changing social habits, the communal
kitchen has to some extent replaced home cooking. This practice
affords a greater opportunity for the spread of infections.
Communal outbreaks of food poisoning have now replaced
family outbreaks.
In May, 1949, the Ministry of Health issued a Circular and
Revised Memorandum on steps to he taken by Medical Officers
of Health in suspected food poisoning cases, and requested that
information of such cases should be forwarded to the Ministry
in accordance with forms prescribed in the Memorandum. The