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21
The four cases reported above, two of which were fatal, occurred early in the year and
were part of a diphtheria outbreak involving a London County Council Training Centre
situated in the Royal Borough of Kensington. Notification of a case of diphtheria was
received in February in respect of an eleven-year-old girl attending this Centre. Further
enquiries were instituted in conjunction with the Medical Officer of Health, Kensington and
the Divisional Medical Officer of Health Division 3. There were 26 Islington children
attending this Centre. Families of these children were visited, swabs taken, their immunisation
history was ascertained and letters were sent to their medical practitioners. Absentees
from the Centre resident in this Borough were followed up and there was close liaison with
the practitioners concerned.
Of the four Islington cases, three were attenders at the Centre and the fourth case was
a sister of one of the fatal cases. In addition, two carriers were discovered, one being a
boy attending the Centre and the other his sister.
Although this outbreak was fortunately limited, precautionary measures were taken to
deal with any possible spread and arrangements were made for immunising material to be kept
at the Town Hall during some week-ends for use by medical practitioners should the occasion
arise. The precautionary measures necessitated intensive work by the Department for a
limited period and 145 visits were made to homes of cases and contacts and 315 swabs were
taken.
Throughout this incident there was very close co-operation with the Divisional Medical
Officer and the Divisional Health Office in connection with the interchange of information
and the visiting of school absentees and domiciliary contacts by the Borough Council's staff.
There was also close liaison with the Divisional Medical Officer and the Medical Officer
of Health, County Hall, in regard to the issue of information bulletins for the press,
including announcements made in the local press.
The Ministry of Health were kept informed of the situation in the Borough and the
measures taken.