View report page

10
Cholera
There were no cases in the Borough but 10 people were put under surveillance after returning from
endemic areas without valid vaccination certificates.
Diphtheria
There were no cases in the Borough during 1972.
Dysentry
There were 30 confirmed cases compared with 26 in 1971 on four occasions more than one member
of a family were found to be affected. Two of these occasions were sporadic incidents and the families were
not connected in any way. The common source connecting the two other families was a school where several
children were reported to have loose stools. On examination of both children and kitchen staff in the school
three of the children were found to have Shigella Sonnei. These children were excluded from school until they
were free from infection. There was one case of Shigella Flexner which was contracted abroad.
Food Poisoning
During the year 23 confirmed cases and their contacts were dealt with. Where food-handlers were
involved they were either excluded from work or given other duties. There were no general outbreaks of foodpoisoning
in the Borough this year but on three occasions more than one member of a family were found to
be affected. Five cases were thought to have contracted the infection whilst on holiday abroad.
Measles
There was a very slight decrease in the number of cases notified (601) compared with 616 in 1971.
Meningitis and Encephalitis
Four cases were notified compared with 13 in 1971. There was one case of Post Infectious Encephalitis
in a man who had been suffering from chickenpox.
Poliomyelitis
There were no cases in the Borough this year.
Smallpox
There were no cases in the Borough but 80 people were put under routine surveillance after arriving
from endemic areas abroad without valid vaccination certificates.
Typhoid and Paratyphoid
During the year 7 cases of typhoid were notified and confirmed.
The first case was a woman 33 years of age of West Indian origin who suffered a flu-like illness.
Another man aged 30 years suffered a high fever whilst abroad in the West Indies. He returned to this country,
was admitted to hospital where typhoid was subsequently confirmed.
A 12-year-old boy who returned from West Pakistan developed symptoms almost immediately. He
was admitted to hospital and typhoid was confirmed.
Another case a man 48 years of age returned from a holiday in the Cameroons and was admitted to
hospital on his arrival in this country.
Another confirmed case was a man 28 years of age who developed symptoms whilst in India and was
admitted to hospital shortly after his arrival in this country.
A Ugandan immigrant 30 years of age developed symptoms two weeks after his arrival in this country
and was once again admitted to hospital and typhoid was subsequently confirmed.
The final case was an Englishman 24 years of age who had never been abroad. He was admitted to
hospital with a high fever, a routine specimen was taken and the diagnosis of typhoid was confirmed. Extensive
enquiries were made as to the source of infection but nothing was established.
As well as these cases 15 people were kept under surveillance after they had returned to the Borough
from endemic areas abroad.
Whooping Cough
Sixteen cases were notified compared with 59 in 1971.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
There was no apparent impairment to vision in the six cases which were notified.
Infective Hepatitis
Details of the 51 confirmed cases were sent to the North London Blood Transfusion Service. The
information enables the service to delete the patient's 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 focused 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.