View report page

INFECTIVE DISEASES
17
Acute Poliomyelitis
One hundred and four cases of this disease were notified or
reported during the year, of which 55 were subsequently not confirmed.
Of the remaining 49 confirmed cases, 22 were of the paralytic
type and 27 non-paralytic. There was one death.
In 1954, seven cases were confirmed with no deaths.
Acute Encephalitis
Of two cases investigated, neither was confirmed.
Meningococcal Infection
Six confirmed cases were notified, none of which proved fatal.
Twenty-four other cases were investigated, but were subsequently
not confirmed.
In 1954, there were eight cases with three deaths.
Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever
Of 13 cases reported during the year, two were subsequently
confirmed as typhoid and five as paratyphoid. Diagnosis was not
confirmed in the remaining six cases.
Puerperal Pyrexia
During the year 101 cases were notified, of which 96 occurred in
hospital and 5 at home. Thirty-three of the hospital notifications
referred to patients whose home addresses were outside the borough.
Information was also received of 57 cases, referring to Wandsworth
residents whose confinements took place in hospitals located
in other Metropolitan boroughs.
Sonne Dysentery
Systematic follow-up of all cases of Dysentery continued throughout
the year and where it was considered necessary, stool specimens
were obtained from family contacts for bacteriological examination.
In addition to the cases for which formal notifications were received
and which, in the main, were single unrelated cases, a number
of other cases were discovered by investigation of diarrhoea outbreaks
which occurred at Day Nurseries and Schools.
Influenza
The number of deaths from Influenza was 30 compared with
23 in 1954, 64 in 1953 and 26 in 1952.