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56
SMALL-POX.
Three cases of this disease occurred during the year 1922, two of these
cases were notified. They arose from an undiscovered and therefore
unnotified case in the person of a female aged 14 years, of 51, Cambridge
Street. It was found that 14 days after visiting 19, Fairfoot Road,
Poplar, this girl had a few spots on her face for which she had no
medical attention. About a fortnight after the father fell ill with a few
spots on the face. At the end of another fortnight the mother fell ill,
also with spots on the face. The last-mentioned patient developed well
marked small-pox and she was removed with her husband to hospital on
the 20th December.
All the contacts in the house were vaccinated, and the boroughs
concerned were notified of the contacts living outside our district Two
sets of bedding were destroyed, and the blankets, sheets and other
articles were passed through our steam disinfector. The Ministry of
Health, the London County Council, the Vaccination Officer, and the
Guardians were all apprised of the outbreak. A letter was received
from the Clerk to the Guardians asking for information in regard to the
cases together with any suggestions thereon, which were supplied to
him. Subsequently a letter was received from the Clerk to the Guardians
informing the Medical Officer of Health that the Guardians had decided
to authorise their Public Vaccinators to vaccinate or re-vaccinate all
persons living or working within the areas of their respective districts.
A notice was printed and published in the borough explaining the
facilities afforded by the Guardians for free vaccination and re-vaccination.
Copies of a circular on small-pox were also issued in the neighbourhood
of the outbreak, and up to the present time (January 20th) no further
case has occurred. On January 19th the two cases were discharged
from the hospital as recovered.
SCARLET FEYER.
During the year under consideration 802 cases were notified, as
against 1,266 cases in 1921. The number of deaths from this disease
was 17.
The greatest number of eases occurred in St. Mary, St. John,
All Saints' and St. Michael's Wards.
The number of eases notified, as compared with London, during the
last ten years was:—