[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Bedford Borough.

  • Bedford (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Bedford Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    30/66 (page 30)
    (b) Individual Diseases Scarlet Fever. During the year 38 cases occurred giving a case rate of 0.70 in comparison with 1.11 per 1,000 for England and Wales. The prevalence therefore was low. Whooping Cough. 232 cases were notified, a number comparable to that for previous years. Diphtheria. No cases occurred for the fourth year in succession, a result which may be attributed to the continued success of the immunisation campaign. Measles. 202 cases were notified. The prevalence was, therefore, less than in the previous year when 676 cases were notified. They occurred mostly in the latter part of the first quarter, and in the second quarter of the year. There were no deaths. Pneumonia. Acute Pneumonia caused 39 deaths in comparison with 19 in 1950, an increase which may probably be related to the greater prevalence of influenza. Meningococcal infection. No cases of Meningitis were notified. Acute Poliomyelitis. No cases were notified in contrast to 7 in the previous year. Dysentery. Seven cases were notified. Usually cases of dysentery which are notified are now due to the Sonne bacillus. This is often very widespread and many cases are so mild that they escape notification. To attempt to undertake extensive enquiries and bacteriological investigations in those few cases which are notified often leads to much fruitless work, and usually any investigations undertaken and advice given are designed to prevent possible infection of others by those engaged in the handling of food, or of young children generally. Smallpox. No cases or suspicous cases occurred. Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever. No cases occurred. Food Poisoning. Three cases of food poisoning were notified. In all cases the causative organism was salmonella typhi-murium. In one case ducks’ eggs were definitely ascertained to be the cause. In this case the source of supply was traced and the information passed on to the County Agricultural Officer. In one other case ducks’ eggs were at least a possible cause, while in the third case it was not possible to trace the food which caused the disease. Ducks’ eggs are now recognised as being liable to contain food poisoning organisms and to entail risk of disease unless they are hard boiled. The arrangements for their distribution, however, are usually such that it is very difficult to trace to any particular farm the eggs suspected of having caused food poisoning. Ducks’ eggs seem to be used for salads and in cooking to an extent which the writer did not realise till the enquiries connected with these cases were made. Though there were no formal notifications Bedford was also concerned in an outbreak of food poisoning which was caused by pork pies made in a factory in a neighbouring county. As the result of information received pork pies from this factory purchased in Bedford showed heavy infection with a food poisoning