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Meningococcal infection
Six cases of this disease were notified during the year
and all the patients were removed to hospital. No death was
recorded during 1953.
Malaria
Five cases of malaria were reported during the year.
Investigations showed that three of the patients were natives
of countries where malaria is endemic and who had recently
arrived in this country. The remaining two patients were exservicemen
who had served abroad, one during the 1939-1943
war and the other more recently in Korea.
Poliomyelitis
There were fourteen cases of acute poliomyelitis
notified and confirmed during the year; nine of the cases
showed symptoms of paralysis and one of the cases died. The
death occurred in the case of a little girl who contracted the
disease in Nigeria and was flown to a Kensington hospital for
treatment.
In addition to the above, a further case of death from
poliomyelitis was allocated to the borough by the RegistrarGeneral.
This was an adult Kensington resident who contracted
the disease whilst staying in Devon.

As in previous years, contacts of cases were kept under
supervision for twenty-one days from the last date of contact.
It will be recalled that in the Annual Report for 1952,
attention was drawn to an unsatisfactory feature concerning
isolation and treatment of poliomyelitis patients in that several
had been retained in general or children's hospitals. After
the matter had been considered by the Public Health Committee
representations were made to the Ministry of Health. On 17th
April, 1953, the Minister issued a Memorandum to hospital
authorities dealing with communicable diseases. It did not
deal specifically with the problem of poliomyelitis but urged
hospital staffs to consult the appropriate Medical Officers of
Health to obtain assistance and advice. The memorandum also
stressed the need for the prompt notification of infectious
diseases.
Of the fourteen cases notified during 1953, eleven were
removed to isolation hospitals. One patient was retained in a
children's hospital outside the borough and the Medical Officer
of Health for the district was informed. The child mentioned
above who was flown from Nigeria and subsequently died was
nursed in a Kensington children's hospital. The remaining case
was a child aged 5 years who was nursed at home after being
examined in the out-patients' department of a children's
hospital. In this case, the notification was not made until
twelve days after the onset of the disease.