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PUERPERAL PYREXIA.
The Puerperal Pyrexia Regulations 1951 define this illness as
any febrile condition occurring in a woman in whom a temperature of
100.4°F. or more has occurred within fourteen days after childbirth or
miscarriage.
During the year 11 notifications were received, all but one of the
cases occurring in hospital. Of the 11 notifications, 9 of the patients
had addresses outside the Borough.
In 1958 19 cases were notified.
PNEUMONIA.
Eighteen cases of acute primary or influenzal pneumonia were
notified during the year, compared with 25 in 1958 and 24 in 1957.
The total number of deaths from all forms of the disease during the
year was 40 compared with 26 in 1958.
DYSENTERY.
Eleven cases of dysentery were notified compared with 24 in 1958,
9 in 1957 and 15 in 1956. There was one incident involving four school
children, all pupils of the same school, the mother and younger brother
of one of these pupils and the two younger sisters of another pupil. In
this incident the causative organism was the mild but very infectious
Sonne type. In addition a number of other children in the school who
had symptoms of dysentery were examined bacteriologically but no
pathological organism was isolated.
Another notified case was due to an organism known as Shigella
Flexner and concerned a boy of 4 years who was admitted to hospital for
treatment. The remaining cases were all of the Sonne type and occurred
singly in various parts of the Borough.
The illness caused by the Sonne organism is generally mild but is
highly infectious and once it appears in a school or nursery it is difficult
to check and causes great inconvenience to those concerned.
All cases reported to the Public Health Department are systematically
followed up and stool specimens obtained for bacteriological
examination where necessary. In dealing with cases of dysentery attention
to personal hygiene is always stressed as an important mean's of
preventing the spread of infection.
WHOOPING COUGH.
Only five cases of whooping cough were notified in 1959 compared
with 10, 108, 82, 139 and 74 in the last five years. This is the lowest
number of notifications received since whooping cough became notifiable
in 1940 and is even better than last year's figure of 10 notifications which
was the previous lowest.
POLIOMYELITIS.
As was the case in 1958 there was only 1 confirmed case of Poliomyelitis
in 1959. This was a young soldier of 20 years, serving in the
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