View report page

17
SMALLPOX.
Three cases of smallpox were notified during the year. In the first case, which
occurred in February, the patient was an old man, an inmate of the Holborn
Institution. In the second, which occurred in July, the patient was a young woman,
an in-patient of St. Leonard's Hospital.
Vaccination of all contacts amongst patients and Staff was carried out in both
these institutions, and there were fortunately no secondary cases.
In both instances the disease was of the mild type and both patients made a
good recovery.
As will be seen from the following table, there has been an increase in the number
of cases of smallpox in England and Wales during the last ten years. Until 1928,
London remained immune during this outbreak, but the infection has now established
itself in the metropolis. Figures already to hand show that during 1929 the number
of cases occurring in London will be much greater than in the year covered by this
Report.

The administrative measures adopted are prompt removal of patient, disinfection
of home and of clothes and personal effects of those with whom patient had
been in contact. In order to facilitate this disinfection use is made of the Council's
shelter in Reeves Place. A list is made of all contacts and these are offered vaccination
and kept under observation during the quarantine period of eighteen days.
The type of disease is very mild as may be seen from the fact that there was
during 1928 only one fatal case of smallpox amongst all those notified in London.
This mildness made the administrative control extremely difficult for the reason
that in many cases the patients feel very little illness, and either do not seek medical
aid at all, or only do so after they have been spreading the infection for many days.