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Council has made arrangements under which children who are " carriers "
can receive treatment at special clinics at Guy's, The London, and St.
Mary's Hospitals.
Reference has been made in recent reports to diphtheria immunization
clinics, at which children are protected from diphtheria by means of an
easily administered skin injection.
There is no clinic of this kind in Shoreditch, but it is of interest to
record that a request was received from two parents during the year under
review for this treatment for their children. In both instances it was possible
to arrange, through the courtesy of the Medical Officer of Health of
Holborn Borough Council, for the children to be immunized at the clinic
in that Borough.
The Medical supplement to the London County Council Public Health
Annual Report for the year 1930, Vol. IV (Part III) contains a full report
upon diphtheria prevention in London and Greater London. Two facts
may be quoted from this Report. Up to the end of 1930 close upon 12,000
children had been inoculated or found to be immune at Clinics conducted
by the Metropolitan Borough Councils, while the corresponding figures at
the end of 1929 was close upon 5,000. During the year 1930 the death rate
from Diphtheria in Shoreditch (0.20 per 1,000) was higher than in any other
Metropolitan Borough.
Enteric Fever.
Six cases in this group were notified during the year, three being cases
of Typhoid and three of Paratyphoid Fever. In one of the cases notified
as typhoid fever the diagnosis was not confirmed, and the patient, a man of
44 years of age, was discharged from hospital, the final diagnosis being
constipation.
The other two cases notified as typhoid fever were closely associated.
The patients were sister and brother aged respectively 7 and 10 years. The
boy became ill quite early in February, and was admitted to the Royal Chest
Hospital, City Road, where he died early in March. The diagnosis was
confirmed by post-mortem examination. The source of infection was not
discovered. The girl, who, without doubt, contracted the infection from
her brother, was admitted to St. Bartholomew's Hospital in the middle of
March. She made a good recovery.
In one of the cases notified as Paratyphoid, the diagnosis was not confirmed,
the case being regarded finally as one of measles. The two other
cases of Paratyphoid, a girl aged 14 and a young woman of 28, occurred in
May and July respectively and were unrelated. In neither instance was
it possible to trace the source of infection. Both cases made a good recovery.