View report page

7
treated at home, and disinfection of all houses where cases
of infectious disease have occurred, all bedding, wearing
apparel, &c., is taken to the Isolation Hospital and disinfected
there in one of Dr. Thresh's portable steam disinfectors;
urgently advising vaccination and re-vaccination.
The most unhealthy part of the district was round Tilbury
Docks; here the soil is peaty and water-logged; cesspools
have been continually overflowing for years, back yards
frequently under water, houses damp. Nearly all cottages
are now connected with the sewer, and there is a considerable
improvement in the death-rate.
Cause of Distribution
of
Disease
Notification of Diseases.
SmalI=pox—256 cases notified and 33 deaths; giving a
death=rate of 12.8 per 100.
Of the 256 cases notified, 97 were in the Thurrocks and
Purfleet, 29 in Aveley and South Stifford, 76 in ChadwellSt.-Mary
and West Tilbury, 27 in South Ockendon, 13 in
Stanford-le-Hope, 8 in Mucking and East Tilbury, 4 in
Orsett, and 2 in the Union House. The epidemic which
had raged in the District during the latter part of 1901,
continued, in January there were 73 cases notified, in
February 59, in March 30, in April 18, in May 18, in June
9, in July 4, in August 19. in September 20, in October 5,
since when there has been no case notified. There had been
no case notified at the Docks from the middle of June till
the end of August. During July, 11 cases of Chicken-pox
were notified, and on two cases of Small-pox being notified
at the end of August, Mr. Hurst, the Sanitary Inspector,
while removing these two cases, saw some other children
said to have had Chicken-pox, and reported them as suspicious
of Small-pox. An inspection was at once made and during
the next few days 17 cases of Small-pox were found, some of
them having been mistakenly diagnosed as Chicken-pox, and
several of them not notified at all, although Chicken-pox was
notifiable in the District at that time. In September, 20
more cases of Small-pox were notified in this part of the
district, and in October, 2, since then there has been no case.
A special report on this outbreak was made at the time. All
the cases were promptly moved to the Isolation Hospital, and
the bedding and clothing also taken there to be disinfected,
and all the houses in which cases had been were promptly
disinfected.
Small-pox