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49
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
respective Medical Officers of Health. The names and addresses
of 113 contacts were also received from Medical Officers of Health
of other Sanitary Districts, such contacts having occurred outside
the Borough. All contacts, both with cases inside and outside the
Borough, were kept under observation for at least 14 days. In no
cases where the advice given was followed did the disease occur,
with the exception of the four cases already mentioned, and two
of these would not have occurred if re-vaccination had been performed
within 12 hours of the visit of one of the Sanitary Staff.
In carrying out the above much extra work fell on the
Sanitary Department, but I am pleased to be able to report that
such work was carried out by the Inspectors, and the Clerical and
Disinfecting Staff, fearlessly and conscientiously.
All the Staff (23 in number) had been re-vaccinated at the
beginning of the outbreak and no case occurred, although all, with
the exception of the Clerical Staff, were frequently exposed to the
infection in its most virulent form.
Shelters.
The two Shelters belonging to the Council, one at Putney
and the other at Larch Road, Balham, were found in a few of the
cases to be invaluable to enable thorough disinfection to be carried
out.
The Putney Shelter was used on four separate occasions, and
was occupied in all 13 days. The Shelter at Larch Road was
occupied on six occasions for 28 days.
Every time the Shelters were vacated they were thoroughly
disinfected and cleansed, and the bedding disinfected by steam.
Source of Infection of the Cases.
In a large proportion of the cases it was impossible to
ascertain the source of infection, as the patients could give no
definite account of the places they visited as far back as 14 days.
In 30 of the cases the probable source of infection was unknown,
while 38 of the cases were infected by previous cases in the same
house or in the immediate neighbourhood. This was caused either