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While emphasis is laid on the control of food premises
and on the responsibilities of those who serve food in shops,
canteens and restaurants, the liability for contamination to
occur in private households must not be overlooked. Some
household larders are unsuitable for prolonged storage, and
some are stocked with little regard to hygiene. The household
refrigerator has limitations and to some people gives a
false sense of security.
Cerebro spinal Fever. One case, a boy of six, was notified.
He recovered quickly after treatment in hospital.
Poliomyelitis. Six cases were notified. All were children.
Two boys, aged 9 and 11½ years, recovered without paralysis.
A baby girl, aged 11 months, has residual paralysis of the left
arm. Two girls, aged 5 and 6 years, recovered with slight
weakness of the back muscles. A girl, aged 7 years, has
paresis of both legs and remains in hospital.
Pneumonia. Of twenty-eight deaths occurring from all
forms of Pneumonia, seven were notified before death. The
total number of notified cases arising in the district was fifty.
Non-notifiable Diseases. School teachers reported one
hundred and forty-two cases of Chicken Pox, three hundred
and thirty-five cases of Mumps, and four cases of German
Measles. School notifications are a useful index of the
prevalence of non-notifiable diseases, and form a basis for
consultations with the school medical officer.
Scabies. There was a further reduction in the incidence
of this parasitic infection of the skin. The treatment clinic in
St. Nicholas Road, Sutton, operated efficiently under the care
of Nurse James, and dealt with twenty-six cases, compared
with fifty-one in 1948. The number of attendances at the
clinic was ninety, compared with one hundred and forty-eight
in 1948. The treatment is by bathing and the application of
Benzyl Benzoate emulsion to the skin.
Lice. There was an increase in the number of cases of
head lice. Fifty cases were treated, compared with twenty
cases in 1948. The number of attendances for treatment was
one hundred and sixty, compared with eighty-four in 1948.
The treatment of head lice is by cleansing and the application
of lethane oil to the scalp. This is supplemented by the
application of a hair cream containing D.D.T., which helps
to keep children free from infestation.
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