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57
"The routine detailed above was again followed, except that the
District School Attendance Officer visited absentees and reported
any suspicious cases. Three further cases were discovered in this
way—one of whom had visited several shops and a cinema whilst
still infectious—and yet, apparently, gave rise to no further known
cases."
"After the first week in September the incidence of Smallpox fell
rapidly, only three occurring during the remainder of the month,
three in October, four in November and two at the end of December.'
"There were no notifications between the 18th November and 23rd
December—a period of five weeks—and, until the latter date, it was
hoped that the Borough had at last been cleared of this disease."
Of the 189 cases occurring during the year, 73 were discovered by
the Medical Officers and Sanitary Inspectors of the Department.
HOSPITAL TREATMENT OF SMALLPOX.
The agreement between your Council and the West Ham Corporation
having fallen through some years ago, and owing to the refusal
of other Hospital authorities to accept your Smallpox cases, it
became necessary in September, 1929, to hastily improvise
accommodation.
. With the continuance of the epidemic every opportunity has been
taken of extending and improving the accommodation, with the
result that there now exists a well-equipped Hospital, although
comprised of temporary buildings.
The table on page 74 of the Isolation Hospital Report gives further
details of the Hospital as submitted for the County survey under the
Local Government Act, 1929.
The Hospital was closed on two occasions, viz., between 18th and
22nd October, and 2nd to 23rd December, 1930.
One hundred and eighty-nine cases of Smallpox were admitted for
treatment and five cases for observation. There were no deaths and,
except in a minority of cases, the patients showed normal temperatures
with an almost complete absence of secondary fever, even in
cases with a semi-confluent rash. There were no apparent resulting
disabilities.