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In the case of a butcher's assistant who was a suspected carrier
and whose brother suffered from food poisoning, compensation was paid
for loss of earnings while excluded from work until he was proved to
be clear of the infection.
Dysentery
Twelve cases were notified during the year, in all of which the
causal organism, where found, was shigella sonne. The school
exclusion arrangements mentioned in last year's report continued and
met with no difficulties.
Typhoid Fever
A girl aged 2 years was notified as suffering from typhoid fever
Salmonella typhi having been isolated from blood culture. The child
was already in hospital but on the diagnosis of typhoid being made she
was transferred to an infectious diseases hospital. All family contacts
submitted specimens of faeces and urine for laboratory investigation and
proved negative. After the immediate acute phase of the illness had
passed the child was discharged home under medical care and made an
uneventful recovery.
Measles
There were 1529 cases of measles notified in 1961, which was
an epidemic year, twenty-four of them being over the age of 15 and
of these ten were over the age of 25 years. Treatment was provided
in hospital for twenty-eight patients some of whom had complications:
eight with bronchitis, one with otitis media and two others were
complicated by pneumonia. All cases made uneventful recoveries and
there were no deaths.
Diphtheria
There were no notified cases of diphtheria during the year, but
on 13th February a sixteen-year old Hornsey girl was admitted to
Coppetts Wood Isolation Hospital as a suspected case of diphtheria.
Nose and throat swabs were immediately taken from her family contacts,
consisting of her parents, a brother of twelve years, a sister
of eight years and an adult maid. Meanwhile, arrangements were
made for the children at the schools attended by the patient and her
younger sister to be examined, and throat and nose swabs were taken
where there was any sign of a sore throat. Since the boy was at
home on half-term holiday from a residential school, the Medical
Officer of Health for the appropriate District was promptly notified.
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