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16
CLINICAL ASPECTS.
Scarlet Fever.
Admissions :
Number admitted with a diagnosis of scarlet fever 253
Number suffering from scarlet fever 244
Number in whom diagnosis not confirmed 9
Of these 9 cases, 6 suffered from tonsillitis, one from measles and
two from urticaria.
Deaths : Nil.
Complications: 175 patients, or 71 per cent, of those admitted suffering
from scarlet fever made an uninterrupted recovery. Of those who suffered
from complications 24 suffered from cervical adenitis, 12 from rhinorrhcea,
10 from otorrhcea, 6 from relapse, 4 from albuminuria, 4 from rheumatism,
8 from whitlows, two from endocarditis and two from abscesses which
required incising. Four out of the 177 patients' treated with serum
developed a serum rash. One developed a protonsil rash.
Cross infection : Whooping cough was introduced on three occasions and
chicken pox once. One in-patient was considered to have contracted
whooping cough.
Return Cases : Return cases were notified from seven households to
which patients treated in hospital from scarlet fever returned on discharge.
Period of Stay : The 22nd day after admission was the date on which
most patients were discharged, 26 of the 174 uncomplicated cases going
home on this day. 50 were in under 21 days, while 16 went in on the
21st day, 13 on the 22nd, 19, 14, and 12 on the 24th, 25th, and 26th days.
Diphtheria.
Number admitted on a diagnosis of diphtheria 48
Number of cases clinically diphtheria 31
Number of carriers 5
In 12 cases in which the diagnosis was not confirmed the revised
diagnosis was tonsillitis in 6 cases and scarlet fever in two.
Of the cases clinically diphtheria 28 were faucal, 2 nasal and one
laryngeal. Of the carriers 5 were faucal, and one nasal.
Deaths :
Number of deaths amongst those admitted during the year 2
Case mortality of diphtheria cases, 64 per cent.
The particulars of the fatal cases are (1) a boy of six, not a resident
of this district, was admitted on the third day of illness suffering from
laryngeal diphtheria. Tracheotomy was performed but did not avert a
fatal issue. (2) A girl of 16 was admitted on the sixth day of an attack of
faucial diphtheria. She developed paralysis and died on January 1st,
1942, the tenth day after admission.