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22
Complications :
A slightly greater proportion suffered from complications this year
as compared with the previous year, 18 per cent. as against 13 per cent.
The number of patients who suffered from adenitis was 22, from otorrhoea
24 (including one who needed to have a mastoid operation), from
rhinorrhoea and abscess 6 each, whitlows 9, albuminuria 5, secondary
sore throat 4 ; in 3 a heart condition caused some anxiety, while one
child suffered from rheumatism and another suffered from a secondary
attack. These figures refer to those patients admitted to hospital during
the year, even though they had not been discharged by the end of the year.
Cross Infection :
13 patients suffered from chicken pox while in the scarlet fever ward,
9 of them apparently being in the incubation stage at the time of their
admission, as were the 3 patients who suffered from German measles,
measles and mumps.
Return Cases:
Return cases were notified from 14 households to which patients
treated in hospital for scarlet fever returned during the year.
Period of Stay :
60 per cent, of patients returned home on or before the 21st day from
admission, the commonest interval being the 19th day, the next the 18th.
Nearly 20 per cent, were in until the 28th day or longer, most of these
being held up because of some minor abnormality.
Diphtheria.
Admissions :
Number of cases admitted on a diagnosis of diphtheria
(including 8 Services cases) 68
Number of cases clinically diphtheria 26
Number of positive swab contacts 10
Of the 24 cases in which the diagnosis was not confirmed 16 were
suffering from tonsillitis or quinsy.
Of those suffering from clinical diphtheria one was nasal.
Most of the contact swab cases were patients from a ward in a
hospital in which a case had occurred.
Deaths:
Number of deaths from diphtheria: Nil.
One patient admitted as diphtheria who suffered from pneumonia,
a baby of 11 months, died within 24 hours of admission.
Complications :
Three patients suffered from albuminuria not present at the onset of
illness and one each from paresis of the palate, tonsillitis and involvement
of heart muscle. A rash occurred in 5 per cent. of those to whom serum
was administered.