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Visits were made daily by one of the senior medical staff and the boy remained well during the
time of surveillance.
Compensation was paid by the Council for financial loss suffered as a result of complying with the
Notice.
Enquiries were received in respect of 50-60 other various classes of contacts residing or working in
Islington which were successfully dealt with by the medical and administrative staffs of this
department, and vaccination offered where considered necessary.
Medical practitioners were kept aware of the situation by periodic issue of bulletins until the
London Boroughs were formally declared free from smallpox on 13th May, 1973.
Of the remainder of 54 references for suspected smallpox and supervision of possible smallpox
contacts, 50 arrived in this country from declared endemic or locally infected smallpox areas. They
were reported to be proceeding to addresses in Islington and were not in possession of valid
international certificates of vaccination. In accordance with the regulations which came into force on
1st August 1963, all were visited and kept under surveillance for the required period.
Advice was sought from the medical staff of the department in respect of four patients suffering
from a rash of a type where it was desirable to exclude smallpox as a possible cause. Three cases
were subsequently diagnosed as chicken pox and the remaining case had recently received a smallpox
vaccination and had caused infection to other parts of the body by touching etc., the site of the
vaccination.
CERTIFICATES OF VACCINATION AND INOCULATION
Applications for authentication dealt with by the Medical Officer of Health numbered 6,240 as
against 4,269 for the previous year. The applications comprised requests for authentication of
international certificates of vaccination and inoculation against smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, etc.,
and constituted a substantial item of work.
LEAD POISONING
There were eight references to the department on this subject during the year.
Raised blood lead level was found to exist in seven of the cases and, of this number, works were
carried out to remedy the conditions of five and rehousing effected in one. The remaining case
concerned Council pre-war property and, as it was impractical for remedial works to be carried out
with the tenant in occupation, rehousing was, therefore, effected to a post-war flat where the paint
had a low lead content.
CHOLERA
There were 13 sporadic references to the department during 1973 for the supervision of possible
cholera contacts who had arrived in this country from declared endemic or locally infected cholera
areas as against 7 in 1972.
All were kept under observation for the 5-day surveillance period.
TYPHOID AND PARATYPHOID FEVER
There were two cases of typhoid fever during the year but none of paratyphoid.
Both cases occurred in a family comprising father, mother and two daughters aged 10 and 6 years
respectively. The mother and daughters had returned to this country on 22nd June 1973, after a
five-months stay in Pakistan; the father did not accompany his family abroad.
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