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16
Chicken-pox does not vary very much in its prevalence from year to year. The number
of cases certified by medical practitioners was 382 last year and there were 186 cases reported
from other sources, making a total of 568 cases. The disease was fairly uniformly distributed
throughout the year with occasional localised outbreaks and a rather intensified prevalence
during the first quarter of the year.
Chicken-pox is not usually nursed in an institution, but 44 cases received institutional
treatment for various reasons.
The District Nursing Association's nurses attended 16 patients, 9 under and 7 over
5 years of age. The number of visits paid was 59 and 49 to each group respectively.
In view of the prevalence of smallpox in other parts of London and the resemblance
between chicken-pox and smallpox a large number of the cases of chicken-pox reported
were visited by the Medical Officer of Health to verify the diagnosis.
TYPHOID FEVER AND CONTINUED FEVER.
Nineteen cases of typhoid fever were notified in 1929. In a few cases no doubt, the
diagnosis was subsequently revised, but no accurate information is available on this point.
Three cases of continued fever were notified. In any case where the diagnosis of typhoid
fever cannot be made with certainty but there is a strong likelihood of the disease being
present, local doctors are encouraged to obtain early hospital treatment for these cases by
notifying them as having continued fever.
Of the 22 cases of typhoid fever and continued fever, 20 received hospital treatment.
MEASLES.
Measles has been notifiable in the Borough since 1914 under various Orders and Regulations,
those at present in operation being “The Metropolitan Borough of Paddington (Measles and
German Measles) Regulations, 1920.”
Sections 60-65, 68-70 and 72 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, were extended to
measles as a dangerous infectious disease throughout the County of London by order made
by the London County Council on April 1st, 1903. The effect of this order is to enable local
authorities to disinfect after measles and to safeguard the public in several ways against
spread of infection.
In addition to the cases medically certified a number of cases come to the knowledge of
the Department through reports from schools, parents, etc.
There were, in 1929, 210 cases of measles certified by medical practitioners, and 62
cases reported from other sources, the corresponding figures for 1928 being 2,862 and 571.
The number of notified cases is analysed in the adjoining table in 4-weekly periods for
the various wards.