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22
Puerperal Pyrexia
Eleven notifications of puerperal pyrexia were received during 1961.
All the cases occurred in hospitals. Of these only four were normally
resident in Westminster.
Puerperal pyrexia is defined as any lebnle condition occurring in a
woman in whom a temperature of 100.4°F. or more has occurred within
fourteen days after childbirth or miscarriage. The following table is an
analysis of the causes of pyrexia of the eleven cases notified in 1961:—
Cause Number of
cases
Urinary infection 4
Breast engorgement 1
Vaginal infection 1
Transfusion reaction 1
Partly retained membrane 1
Post-operative condition 1
Septic abortion 1
Unknown 1
In addition to the above cases, information was received concerning
six patients normally resident in Westminster, who were notified as
suffering from puerperal pyrexia in other London districts.
Smallpox
In my Annual Report for 1960, in connection with the smallpox
case which had occurred in Westminster in October of that year, I drew
attention to the continued need for vaccination as a protective measure,
particularly in these days of high speed travel between Far Eastern
countries and the United Kingdom. This need was brought even more
to the fore in 1961 when towards the end of December, cases of smallpox
were imported into this country from Pakistan, where an epidemic of
this disease existed.
With modern means of transport, it is now possible for a person
unknowingly to be in contact with an infectious disease in one country
and within a few hours to have travelled half across the world. Constant
vigilance is required to prevent the spread of disease, and vaccination
against smallpox is clearly still necessary until such time as this disease
has been eradicated.
Fortunately, no case of smallpox occurred in Westminster during
1961, although on several occasions information was received in the Public
Health Department concerning persons who had been in contact with