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INFECTIVE DISEASES 19
Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever
Of six cases reported during the year, two were subsequently confirmed
as typhoid and two as paratyphoid. One of the former had
previously been on holiday in France.
Diagnosis was not confirmed in the two remaining cases.
Puerperal Pyrexia
During the year 102 cases were notified, of which 101 occurred in
hospital and one at home. Thirty-six of the hospital notifications
referred to patients whose home addresses were outside the borough.
Information was also received of 39 cases, referring to Wandsworth
residents whose confinements took place in hospitals located
in other Metropolitan boroughs.
Sonne Dysentery
In addition to the cases for which formal notifications were received,
a number of other cases were discovered by investigation of
an outbreak which occurred at a school in the borough.
Bacteriological examination of specimens taken from affected
pupils, and where considered necessary, family contacts, resulted
in 41 being confirmed as Sonne dysentery.
All cases were systematically followed up and a total of 338
faecal specimens from cases and contacts were examined over a
period of several weeks.
The final overall total of cases for the year was 232, a considerably
lower figure than that in the previous year, when a very heavy incidence
at schools and day nurseries resulted in 436 cases being confirmed
and making a total of 750 for the year.
The outbreak referred to above for 1957 was the only major outbreak
during the year.
Influenza
The number of deaths from Influenza was 58 compared with
30 in 1956, 30 in 1955 and 23 in 1954.
Influenzal Pneumonia and Acute Primary Pneumonia
These are the notifiable forms of pneumonia.
One hundred and twenty-six cases of acute influenzal pneumonia
and 202 cases of acute primary pneumonia were notified. Thirty-four
of the former, and 38 of the latter died.
The total number of deaths credited to all forms of pneumonia
during the year was 252, compared with 231 in 1956.