[Report 1919] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council.

  • Shropshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1919] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    6 INFECTIOUS DISEASE. Small-pox.—There were no cases amongst tlie civiliaji population. Dr. Gepp reports a'; follows :— “ I think it well to record the occurrence of a fatal case of small-])ox in July, 1919,at Frees Heath Camp, then bemg used as a Disposal Centre for demobilisation. A soldier comii^ direct into camp by a troop train from a Southern port was found to be very ill on arriv.i. He was admitted to the Camp Hosjntal on the night of July 6th, and was notified to me a- suffering from measles. I.ater, the case was diagnosed as Haemorrliagic Small-pox, and he die<l on the nth. He had come from Egypt in a transport from which cases of small-pox wen landed at Malta on June 25th. He stated that he had bccji vaccinated on June 30th, and on arrival at Frees Heath showed well develo})ed mature vaccination. .Ml precautions were taken in the camp and all contacts in hospital were vaccinated with the exception of oik V.A.D. nurse w'ho at first refused vaccination. She was in contact with the case from July 6th to 8th, and went down with small-pox on the 2i.st. She had eventually been vaccinatct! on the i6th. She was isolated hi the camp and recovered. No further case arose, and no spread occurred to the civilian population outside. The names of some 600 soldiers who had been in contact with the first ca.se in the troop train, and ivho had been dispersed to their homes, were obtained from the Camp Authoritio and the M.O.H. of each district concerned was notified by the County Medical Officer. report was received of one case discovered in a contact in Lancashire.” Typhoid Freer.—There were only six cases of typhoid fever in the whole County durir.:, the year. Three of these were in the Rural District of Ludlow. Of the cases in this district, one was imported and the others were associated with insanitary conditions. Typhoid fever is becoming a rare disease in the County. The adoption of systemati'- bacteriological examination on recovery of all cases of typhoid fever lias been recommendtv, from year to year in these rciiorts. It is a measure that should now be jiut into force. Tli' cases are so few that the exjiense would not be great. Diphtheria.—Two hundred and twenty-one cases were notified. The principal prevalence was in the urban and rural districts of Bridgnorth. This prevalence was associated with schuo’ attendance. Influenza caused 404 deaths during the year, the incidence in age and sex being as follows : • At all ages. Urban Districts :— Males .. .. 88 h'emales .. 98 Rural Districts :— Males .. .. 107 Females .. in Under I 1—2 2—5 5—15 2487 6 3 5 5 26 6 2257 Over i—25 25—45 45—65 65 7. 24 22 14 10 25 24 10 7 31 23 / J7 57 20 21 Si