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

  • Ashford (Kent, England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1960
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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

    6/34 (page 3)
    are specific in treatment and it is dramatic to observe the serious inflam- matory lesions of the 3kin heal within a few da3rs after treatment with the£ drugs. Puerperal Pyrexia Only one case was notified. There were no cases of Puerperal Sepsis. Early treatment with the Sulphonamides or Antibiotics prevents the onset of sepsis or other serious complications. Whooping Cough Sixty-six cases were notified. An increasing number of children are being vaccinated against the disease and it is hoped that within a few years the number of cases will correspondingly decrease. Only one case was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital suffering from Broncho-pneumonia which is the most common .and serious complication. There were no deaths. Food Poisoning Only one case was notified. The patient was a visitor who had brought a quantity of bacon with him and had stored it in a warm unventilated cupboard in the kitchen. Clinically, the illness was that of Staphylococcal Food Poisoning, which was confirmed when the Staphylococcus Aureus was isolated from the remaining part of the bacon. The fact that there were no other cases of Food Poisoning, may be attributed to the vigilance and thoroughness of the Public Health Inspectors who are responsible for the inspection and sampling of food and drinlc. Poliomyelitis, Diphtheria ■w ■ ■■ ■ i -taa »i ■ ■ mmtmt ■ »» ■!'■■ . a- »i» . and other Notifiable Diseases None of these was notified. No case of Diphtheria has occurred in the District since 194-8 and no case of Poliomyelitis since* 1557* which is conclusive evidence that immunisation and vaccination have created an effective barrier against outbreaks of these serious diseases, and it is likely that any cases in the future would occur amongst those not immunised or vaccinated. Tuberculosis Thirteen new cases of Respiratory Tuberculosis were notified, compared with five in the previous year. Six of those were in the 55 years plus age-groups and it is probable that they were latent chronic cases who had not previously been ascertained. There was only one case in the adoleseen age group which denotes a very favourable trend. Ten of these new cases were revealed by the Mass Radiography Service, and it is probable that, had they not been ascertained, they would have been a source of infection to others causing many new oases; for this reason alone this Service is of inestimable value. B.G.G-. vaccination is offered to children before- leaving school and in the course of time should prove to be another valuable contributory factor towards the total elimination of the disease. Only one new cs.se of non-Respiratory Tuberculosis was notified. The patient was a woman of 70 years and the site of the disease was the femur. There was no evidence that the milk supplies were a source of infection of Bovine Tuberculosis as was not uncommon before the District was designated a 'specific area* in April, 1958 when it became illegal to sell raw undesignated milks for consumption.