[Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Worsley U.D.C.

  • Worsley (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1960
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Worsley U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/60 (page 6)
    The incidence of infectious disease as gauged by the number of notifications received calls for little comment apart from noting the high number of cases of dysentery recorded (502). This is a very mild condition, though highly contagious especially amongst young children and amongst members of the same family. It is satisfactory to note that for the sixth year in succession no case of diphtheria occurred. One case of paralytic poliomyelitis in a young adult was notified. A problem was set for the Department by a coiimunicable disease which is not statutorily notifiable. During 1960 the occurrence of one case, and in the Spring of 1961 the occurrence of further cases of Brucellosis in the District came to my notice. This disease, which is also known as Undulant fever, Malta fever, or abortus fever, is primarily a disease of cattle. It is communicable to human beings through drinking non-pasteurised milk produced by an infected cow and gives rise to a feverish illness which runs a prolonged and irregular course. The milk may be T.T. milk, but this designation merely indicates that the herd is tested periodically for tuberculosis, and carries an implicit guarantee that the milk is free from the tubercle bacillus; it does not guarantee freedom from the Brucella organism. Pasteurisation (or sterilisation) is the only effective way of ensuring that milk is free from all harmful organisms, and to demand T.T. pasteurised’1 milk is of course to make doubly- sure. * The legislation giving- power to deal with the cause of this infection is lamentably weak, but in this instance through the co-operation of the fanner concerned the beast affected was eventually identified and the situation dealt with informally. It remains for me finally to express-my appreciation of the support and confidence shown by the Health Committee and by the Council, and of the good work done so willingly and unobtrusively by the members of the staff of the Public Health Department,, I am. Ladies and Gentlemen, Yours Obediently, WILLIS J. ELWOOD Medical Officer of Health* Septea&e8V