View report page

The figure of 73 notifications includes 38 inward transfers i.e. cases
notified because they had removed into the borough but who had previously contracted
the disease elsewhere. This leaves a total of 35 new cases of tuberculosis
occurring within the borough compared with the figure of 50 new cases
in 1958.
Facilities for diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis as well
as prevention and after care are provided by the Hounslow Chest Clinic, and
home visiting is carried out by Health Visitors attached to this Clinic. They
are also responsible for the examination of contacts and for the B.C.G. inoculation
for the prevention of tuberculosis. B.C.G. inoculation is now offered
to all the Mantoux negative, i.e. susceptible contacts of newly discovered
tuberculosis cases; 76 residing in this Borough were inoculated during 1959.
A prominent part in the treatment is played by domiciliary chemo-therapy
(i.e. treatment with suitable drugs or injections given at home) on the recommendation
of the Chest Physician, with the aid of the Home Nurses (formerly
District Nurses) provided by the Middlesex County Council.
Apart from institutional treatment provided by the local Hospital Management
Committees of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board in General
Hospitals and in Chest Hospitals, there is also a Middlesex County Council
Hostel for chronic ambulant male tuberculous patients.
Facilities for convalescence, rehabilitation and training are provided by
the Middlesex County Council and the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital
Board.
The social side of the treatment and prevention of pulmonary tuberculosis
is dealt with by the Welfare Department of the Hounslow Chest Clinic.
Tuberculosis Vaccines Clinical Trial
During 1959, the Tuberculosis Vaccines Clinical Trial which commenced in
1950 and has been commented on yearly in the Annual Report, continued in Brentford
and Chiswick. In September, 1959, the Second Progress Report of the investigation
was published. It shows that B.C.G. vaccination confers a very substantial
protection against tuberculosis which persists for a least 7½ years
after being given.
Vaccination of school children will contribute very substantially, therefore,
to the reduction of tuberculosis in adolescents and young adults. This
assessment of the potentialities of B.C.G. vaccine has been made possible by
the close co-operation of the many local health authorities throughout the
country. The work has involved the home visiting and X-raying of large numbers
of participants of whom 191 belonged to this Borough.
In 1959, the Medical Research Council X-ray Unit visited Brentford Health
Centre and 168 of the original 191 were invited to attend. The number who attended
for X-ray was 101. In view of the duration of the investigation, the proportion
of participants who continued to attend for X-ray is highly satisfactory.
It is expected that the Trial will continue in its present form until
August, 1960, and the final visit to Brentford will be paid beginning Tuesday,
26th April, 1960. At this visit it is hoped to X-ray as many as possible of
the participants still living in the area.
-23-