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62
DYSENTERY
13 patients were notified to be suffering from dysentery. In four
of the cases, diagnosis was not confirmed. In all instances where an
organism was recovered, it proved to be of the Sonne type.
Two of the patients were children of six years of age; all others were
adults. The sexes were equally affected. One half of the patients fell
ill in the first three months of the year. In one instance, two members
of the same family were affected.
FOOD POISONING
Only four persons were notified last year as suffering from food
poisoning: two were members of the same family. The egg of a duck
was suspected to be the source of infection in these cases. One patient
had contracted the infection when out of the district on holiday. All four
cases fell ill in August.
MALARIA
One case of malaria was notified, the patient suffering from a benign
tertian infection. Although he had recently returned from Korea, he
gave no history of a definite attack while out there.
ERYSIPELAS
29 notifications of persons suffering from erysipelas were received
during the year. As contrasted with last year when the sexes were almost
equally affected, this year 22 of the sufferers were females. In all but
five the face was the site affected. 19 of the cases occurred in the first
half of the year. Four patients were admitted to an isolation hospital
for treatment.
MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTION
Out of the 19 persons suspected to be suffering from cerebro-spinal
fever, the diagnosis was confirmed in only seven. All but one were
children, five being boys; two were aged seven years, two were aged 18
months, one 12 months, and the other seven months. Three of the cases
occurred in September and October. All were admitted to hospital, four
being to isolation hospitals. All recovered.
ENCEPHALITIS
It is now recognised that encephalitis can occur in those who are
suffering from or recovering from any one of a number of infectious
states. In this last year, two children who had recently suffered from
measles developed signs of encephalitis.
ACUTE ANTERIOR POLIOMYELITIS
Apart from the few occasions when this infection was more or less
prevalent, this country was free from poliomyelitis for most of the year.
Cases used to occur in the summer months, building up to a maximum
in the late summer or early autumn, this increased prevalence being