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CHAPTER III.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
1. SMALLPOX. Notification was received from the Minister
of Health at the beginning of the year, of confirmed cases of Smallpox
recendy arrived from Karachi, occurring in the London area, West
Bromwich, Bradford and the Rhondda Valley.
On January 17th the Health Department was notified of a local
taxi driver who had driven the last mentioned case from London
Airport to Birmingham on January 12th. He had returned home on
January 13th, scrubbed the taxi out with Dettol, and driven another
passenger from London Airport to Kings Cross on January 14th. On
the 15 th and 16th he was at home getting over the reaction from
vaccination on January 8th. The taxi was disinfected at the disinfecting
station on the 17th and released again for service the next day;
the members of the Health Staff concerned were vaccinated and the
taxi driver's family kept under surveillance. No cases of Smallpox
occurred.
The County Medical Officer requested help at London Airport
with the examination and vaccination of incoming passengers from the
Far East, and one Assistant Medical Officer was sent on four days
(January 18th, 19th, 22nd and 24th).
The Minister of Health announced that there was no indication
for mass vaccination, as there appeared to be no spread of the disease
beyond the immediate contacts, and advised vaccination only for
people whose work might expose them to infection, and to bona fide
travellers. The " Wembley Observer " of January 18th carried a
report from the Medical Officer of Health to this effect.
Between March and June the Medical Officer's opinion was
sought by general practitioners in respect of 5 patients who had
developed rashes. These were duly visited and, though none turned
out to be Smallpox, they were kept under 16-day surveillance. In
one severe case visited during the Easter week-end, the second opinion
of a Smallpox consultant was enlisted, pending the results of laboratory
investigation.
Early in April, the Secretary of the Wembley Football Club
enquired whether it would be advisable for a team of 16 footballers
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