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Notifiable Infectious Diseases.
Preventive Work in relation to Tuberculosis
carried out by the Council.
(1) Home Visiting.—The home of every patient notified
is visited by a Health Visitor with the object of giving instructions
and advice as to prevention, and of inquiring into
the home conditions. Sanitary defects discovered are reported
to the Health Department for remedy. The homes of 71
tuberculosis patients were thus visited during the year, and 254
re-visits were made, making a total of 325 home visits by the
Health Visitors in connection with patients suffering from
tuberculosis.
(2) Sputum outfits are supplied for the patient's use if
required.
(3) Disinfectants are supplied from the Public Health
Department.
(4) Disinfection at the home is carried out after death,
or on a patient's admission to an institution, and on such other
occasions as are necessary.
(5) To assist in the early diagnosis of cases, specimens of
sputum are examined bacteriologically at the Council's
laboratory free of charge. There were 163 specimens of
sputum examined during the year.
Treatment—Dispensary and Institutional.
The Surrey County Council is the Local Authority responsible
for the treatment (institutional, dispensary, and domiciliary) of all
tuberculosis cases within the Urban District, and statistical
returns as to the work carried out are furnished to the County
Medical Officer, and will be published in his Annual Report.
Close co-operation between the Medical Officer of Health and
the Tuberculosis Officer has been laid stress upon by the Ministry
of Health as being essential, and the Ministry suggested that the
Tuberculosis Officer should, for the purpose of Tuberculosis