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14
Smallpox.
On eight separate occasions during the year, the Medical Officer of
Health was called to see suspected cases of smallpox. Fortunately in
every case, the disease was excluded.
On two occasions, information was received that passengers who
were coming to Westminster, had been in contact with a case of smallpox
whilst travelling by sea to this country. These contacts, in one instance
numbering 96, were visited or telephoned by officers of the department
until the period of danger was past.
At the beginning of the year, smallpox at Brighton considerably
increased the work of the department. The original case, while suffering
from the disease, had travelled through Westminster and as large
numbers travelled daily from Brighton to Victoria, the department was
immediately concerned. Many hundreds of requests for advice were
received from these and other persons. Arrangements for vaccination
facilities were made with Charing Cross and St. George's Hospitals and
with the London County Council and plans were made to supplement
these if necessary.
Officers of the department who might come into contact with cases
were offered, and in almost all cases, accepted vaccination. Fortunately,
however, no cases occurred.
Medical Research Council. Research on Poliomyelitis.
The City Council readily agreed to their Medical Officer of Health
collaborating with the Medical Research Council in the latter's virological
and epidemiological research into this disease in 1951. Accordingly the
required particulars of the four notified cases of the disease in the City
were furnished to the Medical Research Council. Three of these cases
were, however, subsequently re-diagnosed as not suffering from poliomyelitis
and left one confirmed case of the paralytic type.
Ministry of Health Circular 115/48—Contacts and Carriers of
Infectious Disease—Sickness Benefit.
This circular empowers the Medical Officer of Health to issue certificates
to persons who have been in contact with or are carriers of infectious
disease, thus enabling them to claim sickness benefit under the National
Insurance Acts during the period of exclusion from their work.
Certificates were issued by the Medical Officer of Health during the
year to two persons engaged in the food trade who had been in contact
with cases of dysentery. Both were allowed to return to work as soon
as they were found to be clear of infection.