London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Wimbledon 1952

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]

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SECTION F. — PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL
OVER, INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES.
Notifications of Infectious Disease.
During the year there were 649 cases of infectious disease notified,
as compared with 1158 cases during 1951.
Poliomyelitis.
Two cases of poliomyelitis ocurred during the year, one of them
associated with paralysis. Both patients were removed to hospital for
treatment.
Seven other persons were admitted to hospital as suspected cases
of poliomyelitis, but the diagnosis was not sustained.
The final diagnosis of these seven cases is given below:—
Infective hepatitis 2
Tonsillitis 1
Acute rheumatism 1
Myalgia 1
Physical exhaustion 1
Behaviour problems 1
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Paratyphoid fever.
One case of paratyphoid fever was notified. The family had
recently returned from holiday at a seaside resort in Kent. Upon
investigation it was found that two other cases of paratyphoid, which
had occurred elsewhere, were also associated with this resort. It was
therefore considered likely that the patient had contracted the disease
there.
Salmonella enteritidis.
Following the occurrence of a number of cases of infection by
salmonella enteritidis in a nearby hospital, 21 patients discharged from
this hospital to their homes in Wimbledon were kept under supervision
by the Health Department.
Dysentery.
Thirty-six cases of dysentery were notified during the year. These
included a number of children and one teacher from a local infants'
school where a mild outbreak of the disease occurred during the early
part of the summer. As a result of investigations carried out at this
school 29 children were excluded on clinical grounds. Thirteen of
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