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quarters thoroughly cleansed, and his clothes boiled. When the ship arrived at Aden on the 10th
February, the case was diagnosed as chickenpox and the man was kept in isolation on the ship
until the 21st February when he returned to work.
Dr. Jones saw the man when the ship arrived in London and, in spite of the diagnosis made
at Aden, considered, having regard to the heavy marking and the distribution of the lesions, that
the case might well have been one of smallpox, though it was at this very late stage impossible
to be definite.
All the crew held valid vaccination certificates and there was nothing that could be done
except to keep a careful watch on the crew until the vessel sailed, by which time the remote
possibility of secondary cases would have passed. No further cases of sickness occurred, a fact
which Dr. Jones thinks may be partly due to the commendable thoroughness with which the Second
Mate had organised cleansing and disinfection of the patient's quarters and personal effects as
soon as he had been isolated.
SUSPECTED SMALLPOX - s.s. "UMTATA"
On the afternoon of 20th May 1959, the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar telephoned that a
Medical Practitioner had been to the s.s."Umtata", lying in the South West India Dock, to see an
Indian seaman who had a rash which could be chickenpox but might be A-typical smallpox.
Arrangements were made forthwith for a visit to the s.s. "Umtata" by Dr. William Gunn of
the Royal Free Hospital, one of the Smallpox Consultants of the Ministry of Health. The opinion
of the Consultant was that the seaman was suffering from chickenpox in its final stages and that
the man should be fit to return to work in a day or two.
SUSPECTED SMALLPOX - s.s. "PANDORIAN"
On the 26th September 1959, the Plymouth Port Health Authority reported by telephone that
the s.s. "Pandorian" from Colombo had made an emergency call at Plymouth on the 25th September
and that a suspected case of smallpox, a seaman, had been removed from the ship to a smallpox
hospital.
The following details of the case and of the action taken were passed to this Authority
because the ship was proceeding to London :
History of Case. A seaman, aged 20, last ashore in Colombo 27th August; re-vaccinated
19th March, very small vaccination scars. Complaint of headache, pains in legs and weakness
about 15th September. Stated that he first noticed spots about 20th September. Unwell
with temperature 101° on 30th August. Returned to duty 1st September. Sparse pustules and
scabs on arms, legs and face.
Action taken in Plymouth. Bedding and clothing of patient and crew's quarters disinfected.
Remainder of crew (38) inspected and vaccinated. All personnel remained on board. Specimen
of skin lesions sent to the Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale, for serological
and egg culture tests.
On the arrival of the vessel at Gravesend late on the 26th September each member of the crew
was inspected by the Boarding Medical Officer. None of them felt unwell or looked at all ill.
The ship was therefore allowed to proceed into dock. Here all the crew remained on board, no
cases of illness being reported to the Port Health Inspector.
The vessel sailed for Antwerp on the 29th September and the Medical Officer of Health for
that port was notified of the incident.
Shortly after the vessel sailed the Central Public Health Laboratory Service reported that all
tests on the skin lesions had proved negative to smallpox. This information was telephoned to
the Medical Officer of Health for Plymouth who then accepted that the diagnosis was not smallpox
but one of septic skin disease. This was at once communicated to the Shipping Company and to
the Antwerp Port Health Authority.
SECTION VIII—VENEREAL DISEASES
Venereal Diseases are not compulsorily notifiable but efforts are made by the Boarding
Medical Officers and the Port Health Inspectors to bring to the notice of all seamen using the
Port the facilities available for free treatment under the Brussels Agreement.
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