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ing the consumption of some tinned pilchards which revealed the
same organism. Another case in a child was found to be carrying
S. Typhi murium after being operated on for an appendix, but
there was no sign of the possible origin of the infection in the
child's home. None of the other cases could be confirmed,
chiefly due to delay in notification or the absence of confirmatory
evidence from the suspected samples.
POLIOMYELITIS.
This disease was again rather more prevalent nationally and
the number of cases in Surrey showed a decided increase. Locally,
however, the number of confirmed cases only increased by one
compared with 1952. Of the nine cases, eight were paralytic, one
being very serious, but no deaths occurred, whereas there were
three deaths in 1952. Six were left with no defect or only very
slight residual paralysis.
The cases were spread throughout the year, only May and the
last three months yielding no case, while two occurred in September.
None appeared to be interconnected.
In addition to the nine definite cases, one mild transient case
was recognised early in the year. In July three very young
babies were admitted to various hospitals as suspects but were
found to have different complaints, and the same applied to a
child admitted on suspicion in December. The number of residents
thought to have had non-paralytic poliomyelitis was thus
comparatively low. On a further ten occasions individual residents
or groups who had been in contact with recognised cases
elsewhere were kept under supervision, but none developed the
disease.
PNEUMONIA.
During the year 44 cases of acute primary or influenzal
pneumonia were notified, compared with 21 and 51 in the two
preceding years. Three quarters of the cases occurred in the first
two months of the year when a number of cases of influenza of a
mild type were occurring, and only 2 of the cases appeared to be
interconnected. No less than 27 of the cases were notified by 2
general practitioners, 3 by another, and single cases by 14 other
doctors. So far as is known only 9 were admitted to hospital and
one to a nursing home, but the majority of the 93 deaths which
resulted from some form of pneumonia were cases already resident
in one of the local mental hospitals.
MEASLES.
This disease is usually prevalent in alternate years, hence after
810 notifications in 1951 and 170 in 1952 a large number of
notifications was expected in 1953, but the total of 1,319 was much
the largest experienced locally.
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