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Two cases of typhoid fever occurred during the year and were admitted to hospital,
one, a boy of 13, returned from a tour in Tunisia and became ill. The second case was a
young man who had come to this country from Uganda via Bombay. No other related cases
were found and the patients made a good recovery
Of the 87 notifications of food poisoning received in the year, one case was of
special interest. This particular patient, a boy of one year and eight months old, was
found to be infected with Salmonella Java, which is of reptillian origin. Two others in the
family also contracted this infection and it was found that the child first ill had visited
neighbours who kept terrapins as pets in a tank placed at floor level. A sample of water
from the tank was found to be positive to Salmonella Java and there is in this case a
clear indication of the likely source of infection.
An outbreak of diarrhoea at an old people's home (private) in the Borough occurred
in August. Specimens were obtained from all patients and staff, 21 in all, of whom 20
showed infection by Clostridium Welchii. Boiled chicken had been eaten but none
remained for laboratory examination and the Bacteriologist stated that in view of the
frequency of the presence of Clostridium Welchii in man results were inconclusive. All
the patients made a good recovery.
Several cases of Malaria were notified. In all cases the disease was contracted
directly abroad.
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATES OF VACCINATION
Three forms of International Certificates of Vaccination, in respect of smallpox,
cholera and yellow fever, require authentication of the signature of the doctor providing
the vaccination or inoculation of persons proceeding abroad.
During the year the signatures were verified on 11,692 such certificates.
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