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32
abroad who were reported to have been in contact with smallpox.
All contacts were kept under surveillance until the possibility
of developing the disease had disappeared.
Scarlet fever
The number of cases notified in 1950 was 104, but 4 were
subsequently found not to be suffering from scarlet fever. Of
the total number of cases notified, 39 were treated in hospital.
There was no fatal case during the year.
Diphtheria
Fourteen cases of diphtheria were notified, but of these
12 were subsequently found not to be suffering from diphtheria.
The two remaining cases were unconnected.
The net figure of two cases equals the lowest annual
figure ever recorded in Kensington; the previous occasion being
during 1949.
The first case occurred in a woman aged 24 living in
a South Kensington hostel. The case was confirmed as one
of faucial diphtheria. Precautionary measures were taken
and no secondary case occurred. The patient, who had not been
immunised, remained in hospital three weeks. The second case,
confirmed as one of faucial and laryngeal diphtheria, occurred
in a boy of 5 years in North Kensington, who had not been
immunised. Other children in this patient's family had not
been immunised and steps were taken to remedy this. No
secondary case occurred. The child remained in hospital nearly
seventeen weeks.
No death from diphtheria occurred during the year.
Diphtheria immunisation work, commenced by the Council
in 1934, was continued on the same lines by the London County
Council during the year. A summary of the work carried out
in Kensington is as follows:-
Number of pre-school children immunised 1,444
" " school " " 231
" " re-inforcing injections given 721
" " children attending for pye-Schick
tests 322
" which gave a positive reaction 308
" of children attending for post-Schick
tests 1,745
" proving negative 1,623
" proving positive 35
" who failed to attend for reading 87
Enteric fever
Eight cases of typhoid fever and four cases of
paratyphoid B fever were notified during the year. All the
cases were treated in hospital and there was no death.
Ths histories of the eight cases of typhoid, revealed
that the source of infection in three of them was abroad
and three others were associated with the sufferers who had
contracted the disease abroad. Of the remaining two cases,
one was a carrier and the other was believed to have contracted
the disease from the carrier.
Of the four cases of paratyphoid B fever, the source of
infection was unestablished in three, whilst the remaining
patient was believed to have contracted the disease abroad.
Puerperal Pyrexia
Eighteen cases of this disease were notified and
thirteen were treated in hospital. No death occurred amongst
these cases.