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A small outbreak of smallpox occurred in a neighbouring borough in June
but, fortunately, no Hackney resident contracted the disease. A clinical
diagnosis of acute haemorrhagic smallpox was, however, made in the case of a
woman aged 72 years who was admitted to the Eastern Hospital in the early hours
of July 4th from an address in another adjoining borough Despite the fact
that this patient was extremely ill on admission, it was agreed that she should
be immediately transferred to Joyce Green Hospital, where she died the same
afternoon. The presence of this virulent case in a large hospital, with its
many ramifications, gave cause for considerable anxiety, and the whole of the
hospital was immediately put into quarantine. Arrangements were made for all
contacts to be vaccinated or re-vaccinated, as necessary, and in view of a
fairly widespread request for vaccination on the part of the public, arrangements
were made for additional vaccination sessions at London County Council
centres.
This incident again raised the question of compensation in the case of
contacts or carriers of infectious disease who have to remain away from work on
the instructions of the Medical Officer of Health. The National Insurance
Scheme provides for the payment of sickness benefit to fully insured persons
who are contacts or carriers of infectious disease, and who have to remain away
from work on the advice of the Medical Officer of Health There is provision
in the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations, 1953 for a local
authority to pay compensation for damage, in the case of sufferers from, or
carriers of typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever or other salmonella infections or
dysentery or staphylococcal infections likely to cause food poisoning, who are
required to discontinue, or to refrain from, engaging in any occupation
connected with the preparation and handling of food or drink for human
consumption. A close contact of the case of smallpox referred to above was
not covered by existing regulations, and it was necessary to secure the
approval of the Minister of Housing and Local Government under Section 228 (1)
of the Local Government Act, 1933, to pay reasonable compensation. In this
connection, the Council decided that representations be made to the Metropolitan
Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee requesting that consideration be given
to the inclusion of a suitable clause in the next London County Council
(General Powers) Bill authorising Metropolitan Borough Councils to pay compensation
to any person who at the request of a local authority or the Medical
Officer of Health ceases his employment for the purpose of preventing the
spread of a notifiable disease. The Standing Joint Committee has accepted
that recommendation
Tuberculosis. Notifications of new cases of tuberculosis were 139 as compared
with 123 in 1956, and there were 19 male and 2 female deaths from this disease.
The death rate per thousand of the population was 0.13 for Hackney, as compared
with a rate of 0,11 for England and Wales B.C.G. Vaccination was given by
the staff of the Local Health Authority to some 1,620 school children, and 178
contacts of the disease were vaccinated by Chest Physicians.
Inspection and supervision of food. One is pleased to report that the
standards of hygiene in the preparation, handling and sale of food continue to
improve Enforcement of the comprehensive Pood and Drugs legislation now
available to local authorities has undoubtedly done much to bring about this
improvement, but credit must also be given to the co operation of persons
engaged in the food trades During the year improvement of food premises has
been effected in a number of instances, more particularly by the provision of
additional water supplies and washing facilities The structural unsuitability
of many premises which were never intended for the use to which they are now
put, or which are old and worn out, continues to present difficulties In
this connection, the more one sees of this problem, the more one is impressed
with the need for extension of the present legislation to ensure that all types
of food premises are registered with the local authority before food businesses
are established anew. Food complaints have been relatively few and fall in