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(c) Cleansing and disinfection of ships, persons, clothing and other articles.
Disinfection of infected quarters is usually carried out by the Port Health Inspector in
whose area the vessel berths. If, however, the space requiring disinfection is large, a private
firm is employed to carry out the disinfection under the supervision of the Port Health Inspector.
The Disinfection Station at Denton Hospital is by arrangement with the South East Metropolitan
Regional Hospital Board and the Dartford Hospital Management Committee made available to
the Port Health Authority for the disinfection of clothing, bedding, etc., and, if necessary, for
the cleansing of persons.
Arrangements have also been Made for disinfected bedding from ships in the docks of the
London Area to be sent to the disinfection station at Plaistow Hospital.
SECTION VII-SMALLPOX
1. Name of Isolation Hospital to which smallpox cases are sent from the District.
Long Reach Hospital is situated on the south bank of the River Thames about eight miles
above Gravesend. The hospital consists of 10 ward blocks capable of accommodating 170
patients but, except in cases of emergency, only three ward blocks (2 of 20 beds and 1, a cubicle
ward of 10 beds), total 50 beds, are kept available for immediate use. The hospital includes
residential quarters for the staff and a laundry, although the administration and staffing is
carried out from Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford.
2. Arrangements for transport of such cases to that Hospital by ambulance giving the name of
the Authority responsible for the ambulance and the vaccinal state of the ambulance crews.
A case or cases of smallpox would be removed from the vessel by this Authority's Ambulance
launch and conveyed ashore via the pontoon at Denton and from thence conveyed by road ambulance
direct to Long Reach Hospital.
The Port Health Authority would be responsible for the vaccinal state of their Ambulance
Launch crews, while the vaccinal state of the Road Ambulance personnel would be the concern
of the South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board under whose jurisdiction both Joyce
Green and Long Reach Hospitals fall.
3. Names of smallpox consultants available.
Dr. J.V. Armstrong Dr. H.S. Banks Dr. W.T.G. Boul
Dr. J.D. Kershaw Dr. G.D.W. McKendrickDr. A. Melvin Ramsay
4. Facilities for laboratory diagnosis of smallpox.
Facilities are available at the Virus Laboratory at the Central Public Health Laboratory
at Colindale.
Typhoid Fever
A ship arrived in Tilbury on the 3rd February 1965 having landed a bellboy at Marseilles on
the 29th January with a diagnosis of (?) Pneumonia but which was later confirmed to be Typhoid
Fever. The boy had gone ashore at Freemantle on the 10th January and consumed three meat
pies and a glass of beer, at Colombo on the 16th he had only bottled drink and at Bombay on the
18th nothing at all. He first complained of feeling ill on the 22nd January with a sore throat and
vomiting. During the next seven days he was slightly constipated, had a bradycardia but no
headache. It is of some significance that the patient ate the meat pies on the 10th January and
had his first symptoms on the 22nd, just 12 days later.
The ship's surgeon had given T.A.B. injections to approximately 140 members of the crew,
concentrating on the galley staff and the immediate contacts of the patient.
In view of the history of the case the Boarding Medical Officer decided to find out from the
ship surgeon's Day Book how many cases of Gastro-enteritis had been reported during the homeward
voyage. Five passengers and thirteen crew were reported up to the 10th January and twentyfour
passengers and one crew from 10th January to 2nd February. These numbers were not however
considered abnormally excessive for a sea voyage which included passengers going ashore in the
Middle East.
Investigation revealed that the duties of the bellboy involved the serving of coffee to passengers,
and, particularly as it was a 'one-class' ship, it was necessary to place all the passengers
and crew under surveillance. The last date of contact was taken as the 22nd January when the
boy first reported sick. Notifications were therefore sent to local Medical Officers of Health in
respect of the 750 passengers and those members of the 603 crew who were going on leave. The
remainder of the crew, including the Asian crew, were kept under surveillance by the ship's
doctor.
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