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The family had recently returned from a holiday in France.
It is thought that the mother developed the carrier state while in
France, and infected her husband and child after returning to this
country, as the organism isolated was of a type which is rare in this
country but frequently found in the part of France where the family
had been staying.
Dysentery.
During December seven cases of dysentery were notified. Five
of these were children in attendance at a day nursery in Wimbledon,
and the remaining two cases occurred among family contacts of these
children.
Food Poisoning.
Seven cases of food poisoning were notified during the year.
Two of the patients were from one family. The remaining five
were all occupants of one household.
In no case was it possible to identify the infecting organism, or
the food which caused the illness.
An outbreak of food poisoning occurred during the year at an
educational establishment in Wimbledon. Ten cases were ascertained.
All except one of the patients lived outside the Borough.
After exhaustive enquiries it was concluded that the illness was
due to an artificial cream filling which had become infected by
contamination from the nozzle of the apparatus used for introducing
the filling into cakes. The casual organism was not isolated but was
undoubtedly a staphylococcus.
The illness was mild and all the patients quickly recovered.
The Public Health (Acute Poliomyelitis, Acute Encephalitis, and
Meningococcal Infection) Regulations, 1949.
The above Regulations, which came into force on 1st January,
1950, replace former regulations with slight modifications.
Conditions notifiable under the new Regulations include poliomyelitis
(paralytic or non-paralytic), acute encephalitis (infective or
post-infectious) and meningococcal infection.
Details of the notifications received under these Regulations
during 1950 are given below :—
Poliomyelitis — 12 cases.
Of the twelve cases of poliomyelitis, nine were associated with
paralysis, as follows :—
Paralysis of back, arm and leg, and bulbar paralysis 1 case
Paralysis of skeletal and respiratory muscles 3 cases
Paralysis of legs, trunk and arm 2 cases
Paralysis of both legs 2 cases
Bulbar paralysis 1 case
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