Dr. R.W. Johnstone's report to the Local Government Board upon an outbreak of enteric fever in the Urban District of Ormesby.

  • Johnstone, R. W.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. R.W. Johnstone's report to the Local Government Board upon an outbreak of enteric fever in the Urban District of Ormesby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    August, September, October, and the early part of November, followed by a rapid drop in the occurrence of cases. There was marked localisation in the distribution of the fever. The first case in North Ormesby in 1908 occurred on June 29th in Stephenson Street, the next on July 2nd, in James Street, close by, the next on July 11th, in Telford Street, at quite a different part of the town. Other cases followed in the neighbourhood of the first two houses invaded, and throughout the remainder of the outbreak the disease showed a marked preference for the neigh- bourhood of Stephenson Street, and James Street. Not more than a dozen houses were invaded in other parts of the town. The greatest concentration of cases upon area was in parts of Stephenson Street and Peirson Street, which back upon each other. In this block there are 33 houses, and nine of them were invaded, with 13 cases. On the map supplied with this report invaded houses are marked by red spots. Table IV. Shoioing the age incidence of enteric fever in North Ormesby during 1908. Age. 0-5 -10 -15 -20 -25 -30 -35 -40 -45 4-45 Number of Cases 8 9 5 7 8 12 5 5 3 1 Thirty-one males were attacked, and 32 females. Nine of the males attacked were under the age of 10. Consideration of the agencies which may have had CONCERN IN THE SPREAD OF EN'IERIC FEVER IN NORTH Ormesby during 1908. Direct personal infection.—Altogether 49 houses were invaded by the fever, and in nine of them the first case was followed by one or more further cases. Of these lattei’, which numbered 14 in all, four were attacked less than a week after the preceding case in the same house, and may therefore be regarded as having contracted the infection from some other source. Nine of the remaining 10 occurred in houses where the first patient was nursed at home, and the tenth case occurred in a house from which the preceding patient had been removed to hospital seven days before, on the seventh day of the disease. Two persons who were in the habit of visiting infected houses were attacked, also one person who was nursing a case of enteric fever, and one woman who had repeatedly visited a sister who was sufiering from the disease. In addition there was a series of nine cases amongst seven families all related to one another, and mostly living in the same street, in which personal infection may conceivably have played some part. Water sup>ply.—North Ormesby is supplied throughout by the Tees Valley Water Board. The possibility, however, of this supply having become infected at its source was negatived by the