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23
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
During the year 956 cases of infectious diseases were notified
compared with the exceptionally low number of 327 during 1954.
Of the total notification 647 were in respect of measles, compared
with only 87 last year.
Food Poisoning
Thirty seven cases of Food Poisoning were notified none of them
being associated with an outbreak. In 4 cases Salmonella TyphiMurium
was responsible for the illness, the causitive agent not
being discovered in the remainder.
Typhoid Fever
A small outbreak of Typhoid Fever comprising 13 cases occurred
in a Polish community. Eight cases resided in Acton and 5 cases
were confirmed in other Boroughs in the Metropolitan area. There
was one death; a male aged 24.
The infection occurred after a meal prepared for a party at a
house in the Borough. The hostess who prepared the meal was
found to be a 'carrier' and it was elicited that she had had Typhoid
26 years ago in Poland. Eight of the cases had eaten a meal at
the party on the 15th or 16th October and four had eaten meals as
boarders on other days. In the remaining case the only contact
with the 'carrier' occurred during the passing of money.
The first case sickened on the 21st October and the last on the
14th November. No secondary cases came to my notice.
One of the cases had no constitutional illness and was considered
to be a carrier. He was admitted to hospital after Salmonella Typhi
had been isolated from his second specimen.
All the strains of Salmonella Typhi isolated were untypeable by
the Vi-phage method.
Poliomytlitis
Twenty eight cases of poliomyelitis were confirmed during the
year, 12 of which had some paralysis. Cases of poliomyelitis are
notified as "paralytic" when there are, or have been, signs of
weakness or paralysis, either permanent or transient.
Nine of the paralytic cases and 8 of the non-paralytic occurred
in children under 15 years of age.
I am pleased to report that there were no deaths from this disease.
It is of interest to note that the neighbouring Borough of Willesden
had 126 cases of Poliomyelitis, of which only 22 were paralytic, at
the same time as Acton's outbreak.