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19
INFECTIVE DISEASES
Other Infective Diseases
Seventeen deaths occurred from syphilis.
Scabies
Twelve notifications were received. Nine treatments were given at
the Councl's Disinfecting Station during the year.
At the iBattersea Cleansing Station, a total of 57 treatments for
scabies and verminous conditions was given to women residents
(and children under school age) of Wandsworth in accordance with
the arrangements made by this Council with the Battersea Borough
Council in 1955.
Food Poisoning
Investigation was made in 146 notified or otherwise reported cases
during the year. Seventy of these were deemed to be not food poisoning
after laboratory examination of faecal specimens from those
affected. Of the remaining notifications, 67 were single unrelated
cases while there were nine minor outbreaks involving two or more
persons, making the total number of cases notified and confirmed 86.
Most of the single cases were only slightly affected and where
bacteriological examination was carried out, causative organisms
were discovered in 24 cases. The organisms involved were Salmonellae
typhimurium (17), enteriditis (3), and brandenburg. In three cases,
heat resistant Clostridium welchii was isolated.
In eight of the minor outbreaks, Salmonellae typhimurium (4),
brandenburg, richmond, blockley and saint paul were isolated; it was
not possible in the remaining one to identify the causative agent.
There were, in addition to the above cases, two other outbreaks
reported, one, involving 100 persons, occurring at a hospital in the
Borough and the other, involving 10 persons, occurring at a Mother
and Baby Home.
In the first of these outbreaks, bacteriological investigations indicated
the causative agent as staphylococcus aureus and the second as
heat resistant Clostridium welchii and full reports were submitted to
the Ministry of Health in accordance with existing procedure.
Diseases Reported from Schools
A total of 2,900 infective diseases was reported from schools in the
Borough throughout the year. The numbers of each disease were:
Scarlet Fever 71
Measles 1,491
German Measles 266
Poliomyelitis 2
Chicken Pox 522
Scabies 1
Whooping Cough 58
Mumps 158
Dysentery 27
Other complaints 304