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LEAD POISONING
There was only one reference to the department on the subject of lead poisoning during 1969.
This concerned a 23 month old child in hospital with a raised blood lead level. As a result of
domiciliary enquiries carried out, a series of samples were submitted to the Public Analyst for examination.
Samples of paint taken from (i) the first floor Sitting Room Window sill and (ii) the top floor staircase
half-landing wall and (iii) samples of Putty and Paint from the Top Floor staircase half-landing Window
showed a lead content of (i) 2.09% (ii) 1.53% and (iii) 1.63% respectively.
In the light of the above the Inspector revisited the premises and arranged for all the offending paint
to be removed.
TYPHOID AND PARATYPHOID FEVER
There were 5 confirmed cases of typhoid fever and 2 confirmed paratyphoid fever cases during the
year as follows:-
The five typhoid fever cases referred to above occurred in two families.
In the first a 14 years old Indian boy residing in the N.7. area of the borough was transferred to an
isolation hospital after a clinical diagnosis of typhoid fever had been made at a General Hospital. Initial
reports had shown that the Widal test was positive and Gram-negative bacilli were present in the blood.
As the patient had resided in England for some nine years and no source of infection was apparent,
enquiries were made in an endeavour to trace this.
As a result of these enquiries and routine bacteriological examination of family and other contacts it
was ascertained that the boy's mother was an intermittent excretor of the organism and was thought to be
the most probable source of the infecton.
A near relative who had also lived with the family but since moved to another part of London was
also shown to be carrying the organism.
The other incident involved a 11 years old deaf and dumb boy who had recently arrived in this
country with his father from India and proceeded to an address in the N.19. area of Islington. He was
admitted to a General Hospital on 5th September, 1969 with pyrexia of unknown origin, onset of
symptoms occurring 31st August/1st September.
Blood cultures and Widal test proved positive for typhoid fever although stools were negative. The
patient was transferred to an isolation hospital on 11th September.
Bacteriological results of domiciliary contacts initially proved negative and in addition the medical
practitioners of all those Islington children discharged from the general hospital who were in the same ward
as the patient, were notified.
Subsequently the father also developed typhoid fever and was admitted to an isolation hospital on
14th October, date of onset being given as 12th October.
On discharge from hospital both father and son returned to India.
Of the two confirmed paratyphoid fever cases the first referred to a 60 year old female Islington
resident who developed symptoms whilst in a surgical ward of a general hospital. Subsequently organisms of
Salmonella Paratyphi 'B' (Phage type "java") were isolated, the source of infection being indeterminate.
The remaining case referred to a 21 years old male resident in Islington who went on a Mediterranean
cruise between 16th September - 1st October, 1969. He collapsed on his return and was admitted to an
isolation hospital on 2nd October, where blood culture proved positive for paratyphoid 'B' fever (Phage
type dundee).
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