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were twenty-one single cases of food poisoning notified. In
seven of these no causative agent was identified, but the
remaining fourteen cases were found to be caused by salmonella
typhi-murium.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Smallpox
No case of smallpox was notified in the borough during
the year 1953. Many persons came to Kensington from places
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.
In the Ministry of Health's Memorandum on Vaccination
against smallpox, it is recommended that public health officers,
likely to have to deal with cases of smallpox at short notice,
should be regularly re-vaccinated at not more than yearly
intervals. During the year fifteen members of the staff of
the Public Health Department were vaccinated or re-vaccinated
by the Medical Officer of Health.
Scarlet fever
The number of cases notified in 1953 was seventy-eight
and, of this total, twenty were treated in hospital. There was
no fatal case during the year, in fact there has been no death
from scarlet fever in Kensington since 1940.
Diphtheria
During the year, there were two confirmed cases of
diphtheria. The first occurred in a female aged 55 years who
had just returned from a visit to the United States of America.
Prior to arrival in Kensington, the patient had spent a week in
Leicestershire where the first symptoms developed. The
appropriate Medical Officer of Health in Leicestershire was
informed and all London contacts were swabbed after the patient's
admission to hospital. No further cases developed.
The second case involved the son, aged 4 years, of a
member of the Indian High Commissioner's staff. The little boy
fell ill during the voyage from India and was admitted to
hospital three days after disembarkation in this country.
Contacts were kept under surveillance, but no further oases
occurred.
In neither of these cases had the patient been immunised.
Both patients recovered.
Diphtheria immunisation work, commenced by the Council in
1934, was continued by the London County Council during the year.
A summary of the work carried out in Kensington is as follows :-