View report page

157
APPENDIX II.
Report of Medical Officer of Health presented to the Public
Health Committee on Wednesday, 10th January, 1906.
Result of Voluntary Notification of Zymotic Enteritis,
July 1st to 30th September, 1905.
Zymotic Enteritis may be defined as a communicable disease of
which the prominent symptoms are diarrhoea, vomiting, and general
depression, and which occurs mainly in the latter part of the summer
and early autumn. Every case of Zymotic Enteritis is no doubt a
source of infection to others, but it is not yet settled whether horse
lung, the soil of the ground, and any collection of filth is not also a
possible source of infection. It is undecided what is the specific
germ of the disease, and whether, indeed, it is not caused by several
different germs. In a Report made to your Council on Summer
Diarrhœa in 1904, I recommended that the same precautions should
be taken with every case of Zymotic Enteritis as with Enteric Fever,
For this purpose it was necessary to know of the existence of cases,
so that the houses might be visited, and the necessary directions
given as to isolation, cleanliness, and disinfection. The Council
accordingly decided to pay for voluntary notifications of the first
case of Zymotic Enteritis occurring in a family during the months of
July, August, and September, and the Tables I. to VI. summarise the
notifications received, and the results of the enquiries made.
Altogether 212 cases were notified, of whom 38 died, giving a
ease death rate of 18 per cent. 56 deaths occurring during the
quarter were certified to be from diarrhoea or Zymotic Enteritis, so
that 18 children died of this disease who were not notified. It
appears therefore that about two-thirds of the cases for which
medical attendance was called in were notified. Most cases were
notified within three or four days of commencement of illness.
Age Distribution. Table I. shows that nearly half the cases notified
were between 3 and 12 months of age. The largest number in any
three months being between 3 and 6 months of age. 11 cases were
notified over 5 years of age. From inquiries made, I have no doubt
that the disease affects persons at all ages, but is much more serious
under the age of 2, and again in extreme old age.
Local Distribution. As notification was voluntary, it was to be
expected that some doctors would be more inclined to notify than
others, and this will necessarily affect the local distribution as
indicated by notification, and consequently too much reliance must
not be placed on the figures given for the Wards.