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However, he made good progress in hospital and after full investigation
it was decided that he was a case of lymphocytic meningitis
and not a case of poliomyelitis.
Meningococcal Meningitis.
This was a case of a girl aged 13 years who was suddenly taken ill
with symptoms of Meningitis. As soon as a diagnosis of Meningococcal
meningitis was made appropriate modern treatment was commenced
and she made an uneventful and complete recovery.
This is a desease which occurs mostly under overcrowded living
conditions and there was cause for concern since the patient came
from very overcrowded accommodation situated over a restaurant.
Very close contacts consisted of 3 adults and six children. Appropriate
preventive action was taken and the contacts were kept under
surveillance.
Fortunately, no further cases occurred.
Dysentery.
Only five cases of dysentery were known to have occurred and all
of these were due to an organism known as Shigella Sonnei. This
organism is found widespread throughout the country and it causes
a mild form of dysentery which is usually readily amenable to treatment.
I have no doubt that in fact there were many more cases which
responded to simple remedies and which were never diagnosed as
dysentery.
Food Poisoning.
There was a short, sharp, outbreak of food poisoning amongst a
family of two adults and three children. Within a period of two days
all suffered from severe diarrhoea and all made rapid recoveries.
No causative organism could be isolated. It is probable that this
outbreak was due to toxins produced by organisms in food which had
been kept too long or at a temperature which was high enough to
encourage the multiplication of bacteria. I think that this very small
number of cases speaks highly for the care generally taken by the
housewives and the good standard of food production in the local
hotels, restaurants, cafes, etc.