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The second Typhoid Fever case was a 17 year old male admitted to an isolation hospital on the 26th
September, 1971. A clinical diagnosis of Typhoid Fever made at the hospital was subsequently confirmed.
Onset of symptoms was given as the 18th September, and it was reported that the patient together
with other members of the family, arrived home from a holiday in Naples, Italy on the 10th September.
Repeated specimens of blood, faeces and urine were obtained from all contacts of this case and the
Medical Officers of Health of Boroughs where contacts were employed were kept fully informed. Unfortunately,
there were a number of food handlers amongst the contacts employed at two restaurants and also
a number employed at hospitals. The Medical Practitioners of contacts were also kept fully informed.
The patient continued to excrete the typhoid bacilli in his faeces and it was feared that he would
become a chronic carrier.
Accordingly discussions were held with the Department of Health & Social Security and the Consultant
Physician of the Isolation Hospital and it was felt by all parties that it would not be practical either to insist
that a boy of 17 years should permanently live apart from his family or that his father at 45 years of age
should change his occupation. Therefore stringent provisions and precautions to safeguard both the family
and the public were laid down; these included monthly specimens of faeces, urine and blood from the
patient and his mother and father. His doctor was warned that in the event of any suspicious illness they
had been asked to report to him immediately. These instructions were communicated to the family both in
writing and by word of mouth in the native language of the family.
Fortunately subsequent tests have proved negative and it is hoped that the carrier state in which this
patient was discharged may not prove permanent. Continued stool cultures are being obtained and should
these all prove negative it would be reasonable to regard the patient as no longer being a danger.
The other references to the Department concerned an old Typhoid case living in another Borough
attending an Islington School and there were three other contacts of Typhoid and four contacts of
Paratyphoid all with satisfactory conclusions.
DYSENTERY
There were only forty-five cases notified and 'coming to knowledge' during the year. Of these, thirty
three proved positive whilst twelve were clinical cases with negative stools.
Roughly two-thirds of these were isolated cases, the remainder comprising 2 small outbreaks at a
day nursery and a play group.
TUBERCULOSIS

The notification rate of all forms of tuberculosis was 0.53 per 1,000 population as against 0.24 for the
whole country.
The total number of cases remaining on the register after adjustment for deaths and transfers was, on
the 31st December, 1971: Males Females Total
Pulmonary 919 675 1,594
Non-Pulmonary 114 58 172
Totals 1,033 733 1,766
There were 6 tuberculosis deaths (all pulmonary) during 1971. The death rate of all forms of tuberculosis
in the borough, per 1,000 population, was the same as the national rate - i.e. 0.03.
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