View report page

8
Cholera
There were no cases in the Borough but 127 people were put under surveillance after returning
from endemic areas without valid vaccination certificates. The noticeable increase in cases under surveillance
compared with 1970 (8) was mainly due to the outbreak that occurred in Spain during the late summer.
Diphtheria
There were no cases during 1971 in the Borough.
Dysentery
There were 26 confirmed cases compared with 49 in 1970. On 6 occasions more than one member
of a family was found to be infected.
However these were sporadic incidents, the various families were not connected in any way and
there was no evidence of a common source of infection. There was one case of amoebic dysentery which
was contracted abroad.
Four children were excluded from a day nursery after shigella sonnei was isolated from their stools.
These children and two adult contacts received treatment and the children were allowed to return to the
nursery when free from infection.
Food Poisoning
Of the 62 cases notified 46 were confirmed. The infection was also isolated from 14 symptom-less
contacts.
Where food-handlers were involved they were either excluded from work or given other duties. Seven
of the cases were suspected of having contracted the infection whilst on holiday abroad.
One general outbreak occurred at an old people's home Out of 100 residents at risk 12 were affected
and 5 cases were confirmed after laboratory investigations. The agent causing the outbreak was Clostridium
welchii. The source of infection was not established as there was no food available for
bacteriological examination but the suspected food was cold brisket.
Measles
There was a noticeable decrease in the number of cases notified (616) compared with 1970 (1,191).
Measles vaccine was introduced in 1968 and this probably accounts for the decrease in the number of cases
notified.
Poliomyelitis
There were no cases in the Borough this year.
Smallpox
There were no cases in the Borough but 50 people were put under routine surveillance after arriving
from endemic areas abroad without valid vaccination certificates.
Typhoid and Paratyphoid
During the year 3 cases of typhoid were notified but only 2 were confirmed.
One of these, a 53-year-old nurse, was admitted to hospital on 21st June and typhoid fever was subsequently
confirmed. It was discovered that she had nursed a case of typhoid prior to her illness and this was
believed to be the route of infection.
The other case was a 4-year-old child who was probably infected by his parents as they were both
found on investigation to be symptomless excretors.
As well as these cases and their contacts, 5 people were kept under surveillance after they had returned
to the Borough from endemic areas abroad.
There were no cases of paratyphoid fever.
Whooping Cough
Fifty cases were notified this year compared with 78 in 1970.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
There were 11 confirmed cases notified this year.
Infective Hepatitis
Details of the 50 confirmed cases were sent to the North London Blood Transfusion Service. The
information enables the service to delete the patients name from the panel if he or she is a donor and to
defer the call up of close contacts for six months. In addition it may enable the service to prevent a recent
donation from being used clinically or introduced into "pooled" plasma.
Particular attention has been focussed on the transmission of jaundice by the use of contaminated
syringes or needles by persons who administer drugs intravenously by self-injection and the occurrence of
cases of jaundice has led to the detection of foci of drug addiction. When information has been obtained by
the Public Health Inspector that a person suffering from infective jaundice is a drug addict the Social Services
Department is informed.