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Malaria.—Three cases of malaria were notified during the year and investigations showed that
they were recurrences of infections originally contacted in India, East Africa, and Korea.
Influenza.—This disease was more prevalent than in 1952. It caused 26 deaths, as compared
with four in 1952, 33 in 1951, six in 1950, and six in 1949.
Mumps, Chicken Pox, German Measles.—These diseases are not notifiable, but cases are
brought to the notice of the Department through schools, health visitors, etc. During the year, the
following cases were recorded:—mumps, 35; chicken pox, 145, and German Measles, 130. The latter
disease has received considerable attention recently, because its occurrence in a mother during the early
months of pregnancy may result in the child being born with a congenital defect.
Fever Hospitals.—The Borough is served by the South Middlesex Infectious Diseases Hospital,
but on occasion, accommodation in other fever hospitals of the North West Metropolitan Regional
Hospital Board is used. During the year, 220 patients from the Borough were admitted to these hospitals.
Close contact is maintained between the hospitals and the Health Department, so that any necessary
action can be taken.
Disinfection.—The disinfection of bedding, etc., is done at the South Middlesex Infectious
Diseases Hospital, while the disinfection of homes is carried out by the disinfectors on the Health
Department staff. In 1946, after considering a report on the subject, the Council decided to stop terminal
disinfection of rooms and bedding " except in cases of smallpox or where the Medical Officer of Health
considers such disinfection to be advisable During the year, eight rooms were disinfected and 11
lots of bedding destroyed.
Laboratory.—Certain routine bacteriological work is done in the laboratory at the Health
Department. When more detailed investigation is required, specimens are sent to the National Public
Health Laboratory Service. The number of specimens examined during 1953 was 379. The majority
of these specimens were taken during the investigation of dysentery and food poisoning.
Food Poisoning.—Section 17 (1) of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, states: "If a registered
medical practitioner becomes aware, or suspects that a patient whom he is attending within the district
of any local authority is suffering from food poisoning, he shall forthwith send to the Medical Officer
of Health of that district a certificate stating:—
(a) the name, age and sex of the patient and the address of the premises where the patient is; and
(b) particulars of the food poisoning from which he is, or is suspected to be, suffering."
Experience suggests that all medical practitioners do not recall this statutory obligation to notify
actual or suspected cases of food poisoning and certainly the importance of notification "forthwith" is
not realised. If the Health Department is to have a real chance of tracing the origin and source of food
poisoning, they should be on the job as soon as food poisoning is suspected. Delay in notification so
hampered the investigation of cases that the attention of some medical practitioners had to be drawn
to their statutory obligations.
The possibility of food poisoning should be kept in mind in all cases of "gastric flu" and unexplained
vomiting and diarrhoea. During 1953, notifications of the occurrence of food poisoning in
53 persons were received, and during the course of our investigations, a further two cases were
discovered. There was no large outbreak. A considerable amount of time and effort was devoted to
investigation of these incidents. The responsible organism was identified in five incidents, but the source
of infection was not traced with certainty in any case. Some detail of the cases is set out in tabular
form overleaf. No death from food poisoning occurred.
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