View report page

20 Statistics, Infectious Diseases, Health Control Unit London (Heathrow) Airport
Infectious Diseases
Infective Jaundice
The Public Health (Infective Jaundice) Regulation 1968 making infective jaundice generally
notifiable came into operation on 15th June, 1968, consequently 1969 was the first full year of notification.
The principle object of making infective jaundice generally notifiable is to enable Medical
Officers of Health to enquire into the epidemiological background. It was expected that the majority
of cases notified under the new regulations would very likely be due to infective hepatitis. This is a
virus infection which is transmitted mostly by person to person contact, although it can be transmitted
parenterally like serum hepatitis. This latter disease occurs less frequently than infective hepatitis, but
is potentially a more serious condition. Cases of serum hepatitis are usually sporadic, but outbreaks
have occurred associated with contaminated syringes or other medical equipment. Jaundice amongst
groups of drug addicts has been shown to have been associated with the practice of sharing syringes
and needles, and small coteries of drug addicts have been detected as a result.
Because of the association of infective hepatitis with serum hepatitis the National Blood Transfusion
Service is deeply concerned with this disease. All cases of infective jaundice notified to this
Authority are visited by one of my health visitors and among the enquiries made, questions are asked
as to whether the patient or any other member of the household is a blood donor. Affirmative replies
are notified to the Director of the North London Transfusion Centre. Of the 59 cases of infective
jaundice notified during 1969 information concerning 20 cases was sent to the Transfusion Director.
Food Poisoning
Two general outbreaks of food poisoning due to Salmonellae infection were notified during
1969. One outbreak, due to Salmonella enteritidis occurred in a large hospital and although there
were only 12 cases, over 600 people were at risk, and the need for a high standard of food hygiene
and kitchen technique in establishments of this kind cannot be over exaggerated. The other general
outbreak was in a primary school where 51 out of 75 junior pupils who partook of a school dinner
became ill. A Salmonella organism was isolated from one pupil only. In all cases the illness was mild
and on average symptoms cleared within 24 hours. There were also two family outbreaks and 53
other sporadic cases to make a total of 120 food poisoning notifications during 1969.
Typhoid
Two cases of typhoid fever were notified during the year. One was a nine year old Indian boy
who had been resident in this country for four years at the time of onset of symptoms. The bacillus
was identified as being of phage type 40, a type found chiefly in the Middle East, but follow up of all
family and other contacts did not bring any carrier to light.
The other case was an adult female who was one of several cases which developed on board an
Italian liner during a journey from Australia.
No secondary cases occurred within the Borough, and both patients made satisfactory recoveries.
Para-Typhoid
Two cases of paratyphoid were reported. Both occurred among young men who had been touring
abroad, one in Yugoslavia and the other in Morocco and Spain. No secondary cases developed.
Leptospirosis
On 1st October 1968 Leptospirosis became a notifiable disease throughout England and Wales.
The term "Leptospirosis" covers a group of acute infectious diseases with a fatality rate which,
although low, increases with advancing age. Contact with an environment such as water, mud, soil,
which has become contaminated with the virulent infecting organism (leptospira) is an important
mode of transmission of the disease. Such contamination can occur from the urine of infected animals,
mainly mammals.
Workers in particular occupations, e.g. sewer workers, miners, fish cleaners, abattoir workers
have traditionally been considered to be particularly at risk, but the epidemiological pattern of the
disease in this country has changed over the last 30 years, and the rate of infection among sewer