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Cases 1,2,4 and 5 were secondary to Case 67 of the 1931 series.
Cases 3 and 6 were of unknown origin. Case 7 was secondary to
Case 6. Case 8 was infected at a laundry in a neighbouring area
and in turn infected her mother, case 9. Case 10 was also infected
in a neighbouring area.
Three of the cases were primarily notified by private practitioners
and seven by your Medical Officer of Health.
Only one case was of school age and this patient fortunately
had not been at school whilst infectious.
Six cases were unvaccinated and the remaining 4 patients,
aged 55, 53, 44 and 30 years, were vaccinated in infancy.
The 10 cases were notified from five different households
accommodating five families. Multiple cases occurred in three
households (4 cases in one and 2 cases in two). The most constant
period between onset and rash was four days, the extreme limits
being 2 and 5 days—one case each.
Amongst the successful vaccinations performed on home contacts
two of these subsequently developed Smallpox, in one case
the onset being 8 days later and in the other the rash (there was no
onset) developing 11 days later. Allowing the usual incubation
period of 12 days, the experience of 1931 was again borne out,
viz., that successful vaccination within 3 days of initial exposure
to infection protected contacts. In spite of the failure of vaccination
being done too late to protect the contacts, the severity of the
attacks were so modified that the patients were only in Hospital
for short periods.
No case was erroneously notified as Chicken Pox.