[Report 1909] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council.

  • Shropshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1909] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    40/148 (page 24)
    been in close association for some days. This was a severe case. I visited E.M. and found lier apparently well, and free from recent sore throat. As it appeared })f)ssible however that she might still be infectious the medical man, at my suggestion, took a swal) from her throat. It was reported this time to show dii)htheria bacilli. E.M. was then kei)t at home for some little time and no further case developecl.” “ Another small outbreak show'ing much prolonged infection after apparent recovery from diphtheria arose in Acton Burnell parish in March, and formed the subject of a special report ])resented on April ist. It is unnecessary to repeat all the facts, the essentials being that a school child, L.S., who had had an attack of diphtheria in December, 1908, on her return to school two months later was the probable source of an outbreak in the school of three cases, with one death. Two of these cases were notified, and upon investigating I founel another child whose throat showed diphtheria when examined bacteriologically, and the throat of L.S. also showed the organisms. L.S. W'as again excluded from school for a long period, at least six months, and no further case developed. The school w'as closed for four weeks in March as a precaution.” Bridgnorth Rnral District. “ Five cases of diphtheria occurred at Ruthall Farm, near Ditton Priors, and were occasioned by defective drainage, which has now been put in proper order.” Clitn Rnral District. ‘ ‘ Four cases in two families only came to light. One case in Clunbury parish in August was due to a member of the family who had had diphtheria in another county and came home after recovery. The case shows the necessity for maintaining isolation and medical supervision of a case of diphtheria until the throat has been declared free of infection by bacteriological test.” Dawley Urban District. “ The Council on my recommendation sanctioned the use of anti¬ toxin by medical men at the public cost lor the prevention of si)read of the disease in affected families, by protective injections given to the unaffected children. The Council defrays the cost of the antitoxin used and pays a fee for the injection, of 5/- for the first case and 2/6 for each subsequent case in the same family.” Enteric or Typhoid Fever. There were 45 cases and 9 deaths from typhoid fe^'er, compared with 29 cases and 4 deaths in 1908, 33 cases and 6 deaths in 1907, and 43 cases and 9 deaths in 1906. Twelve of the cases occurred in the Borough of Shrewsbury, 9 in the Borough of M'enlock, and 9 in the Atcham Rural District. The decrease of typhoid fever in this county as showai in Table 9 is a matter for much con¬ gratulation. What exactly the decrease is due to is not ajiparent, but the causes are probably many, and may be summed u]i as improved conditions of living and more careful living. The improvement of water siqiplies is probably the most important factor, and it must be remembered that this improvement may extend far beyond the area of the supply. The typhoid fever in country districts depends to a great extent on imported cases and the chances of infection from them. In districts supplied from shallow well waters liable to jiollution, immunity from tyjihoid is dependent upon freedom from imiiorted cases. It will readily be understood therefore how decrease of tyjdioid fever in countiy districts may be to a great extent due to a decrease in the neighbouring towns. .Some part of the decrease too may be due to the more careful super\'ision of oyster and mussel beds that is now exercised. Knowledge gained within recent years showing that persons who have suffered from typhoid fever may remain infectious for long periods, makes it very nece.ssary that iMedical Officers of Health should have at their dispersal means of determining freedom from infection.