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were also infected. Six children living in Ham and attending Rivermead
School were infected. In addition 89 suspected patients were
referred by private doctors and of these 26 were proved to be true
cases.
The illness caused was mild, but a great nuisance to those concerned.
Sometimes symptoms recurred after apparent cure, and in a number
of cases the patients continued to carry the organism for several weeks.
This necessitated exclusion from the Nursery or School until it was
reasonably certain that the child was no longer infective.
The remaining cases notified were individual cases of dysentery due
to the same organism and which occurred at various times of the year
and in various parts of the Borough.
Food Poisoning.
Eleven cases were notified. A mother, father, and a child all had
symptoms of food poisoning. The suspected food was not available
for examination and it was not possible to isolate a food poisoning
organism from the patients. It is probable that this short, sharp, outbreak
was due to faulty storage of a veal and ham pie, and that the
symptoms were caused by toxims produced in the food before
consumption.
The remainder were single cases; three being caused by Salmonnella
typhimurium, one by Staphylococcus Aureus and in four cases the
agent was not identified.
Scarlet Fever.
I here were 24 cases. All were mild and of short duration. Two
were admitted to hospital but in each case this was done because of
poor home conditions and not because the patients were seriously ill.
Pneumonia.
Five cases were notified and all were adults.
IMMUNIZATION.
The district Medical Officer of Health is responsible for this form
of preventive medicine, but for the sake of convenience the work is
carried out at Surrey County Council Clinics, and the schemes are
administered from the Divisional Health Office, Sheen Road.
Prevention of Diphtheria.
The scheme for immunizing infants and children against diphtheria
was continued as before, and a high state of immunity was maintained.