Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health / City Council of Pretoria.

  • Pretoria (South Africa). Health Department.
Date:
[1953]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health / City Council of Pretoria. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/84 (page 18)
    Local Cases: The non-European cases were one Eurafrican, 4 Asiatics and 18 Bantus. Seven of the cases died (1 European, 1 Asiatic and 5 Bantus). They had never been immunised. Six of the cases were adults, 20 were scholars and 24 were children of pre-school age. Thirty-six of the cases were removed to the Isolation wards, 8 to the Military Hospital and 6 were treated and isolated at home. There were 6 secondary cases. Thirty-seven of the cases had never been immunised, 12 had been immunised previously and one case, an adult, gave a history of having had diphtheria before as a child when 4 years old. MENINGOCOCCAL MENINGITIS: Europeans N on-Europeans Total Local cases . 6 (8) 2 (2) 8 (10) Imported cases. 3 (4) 1 (3) 4 (7) The non-European cases were 1 Asiatic and 1 Bantu. The Asiatic case died. All the cases were removed to Hospital. OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES NOTIFIED: Local Encephalitis . European 2 NomEuropean Brucellosis . 1 1 Erysipelas . 5 — Puerperal Fever 3 — Ophthalmia Neonatorum — 1 Malaria. — — Typhus . — —• Leprosy . — — Imported European NomEuropean ■ 2 — 1 — 1 — 1 1 1 HERCULES AREA TYPHOID FEVER: Europeans N omEuropeans Total Local cases . . 6 (2) 36 (21) 42 (23) Imported infections . . . -( ) 4 (3) 4 (3) Deaths in local cases . 1 (1) 5 (1) 6 (2) Local Cases: In contrast to Pretoria the incidence in Hercules has increased, 42 cases as against 23 last year. Six of the cases (1 European and 5 Bantus) died. Thirty-eight of the cases were removed to hospital and 4 were treated at home. Distribution of Cases: Location area Daspoort Estate Daspoort . Pretoria Gardens Market Garden Plots Europeans N on-Europeans 32 1 1 2 6 36 5 1 The majority of cases occured in the location area. During the year town water has been laid on to this area but the majority of the premises have not yet been connected to this supply. The area is unsewered, and overcrowding and gross insanitary conditions contribute to the high incidence of typhoid in this location. The cases from Daspoort Estate (5 Europeans and 1 Bantu) and the 2 cases from the Market Garden Plots were probably water-borne infections as the wells in this area are liable to pollution through irrigation furrows. In tracing the sources of infections, 9 suspects were tested for the possible carrier state. The reports on blood specimens of three were positive for the Vi-agglutination test. Further stool and urine examinations for the presence of B. Typhosus were, however, negative. In each of five houses there were 2 cases and in 4 of these the second was a secondary infection. In one house there were 3 cases and in another family there were 6 cases. Altogether there were 11 secondary cases.