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SMALL-POX IN GLOUCESTER. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH.
92
SMALL-POX IN GLOUCESTER.
reported during each
of the four weeks ended
on
June 9th to June 30th in the various sanitary districts STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH. of the country. IN view of the public attention attracted by the outbreak of small-pox at Gloucester, the Ministry of Health has issued a statement to the following effect.
It will be seen that the total number of notifications for these four weeks is 408-as compared with 151 in January, 154 in February, 214 in March, 141 in April, and 112 in May.
Help in Diagnosis. The particulars given as to the outbreak at The outbreak at Gloucester was not dealt with as Gloucester indicate the dangers of incorrect diagnosis. It is the duty of the general practitioner to notify soon as it might have been, because of the refusal of to the medical officer of health, and if he is in small-pox the local medical officer of health to admit the presence of small-pox on a large scale in the city. There were, doubt as to diagnosis he consults that officer. If in latter has any doubt, he applies to the however, admitted cases of small-pox as early as April, his turn the and he was advised of the danger by the Ministry of Ministry of Health and the medical staff of the Health early in May on cases of small-pox occurring at Ministry at once assists him by advice on the spot as diagnosis and as to the action which should be places as distant from Gloucester as Liverpool and to taken to stamp out infection locally and prevent its Abertillery, the source of infection in which was traced to Gloucester. At the end of May, a medical officer of spreading. In view of the number of calls now being the Ministry of Health, present in Gloucester on a made on the Ministry and the limited staff available, arrangements have been made by which medical public inquiry, visited various suspected cases officers of health, especially expert in small-pox, are reported to him by medical practitioners which he to give immediate help as required in each of ready The officer of health as medical diagnosed small-pox. did not agree and Dr. A. F. Cameron, medical superin- 12 districts into which the country has been divided for tendent of the M.A.B. Small-pox Hospital at Dartford, this purpose. was then invited to the city and agreed with the Vaccination in Relation to Further Spread. diagnosis of the medical officer of the Ministry of The statistics show that the incidence of small-pox at Health. A subsequent house-to-house visitation by present is very widely spread over the country. The officers of the Ministry of Health established the number of notifications in the first six months of the existence of epidemic conditions beyond dispute. present year is largely in excess of the notifications for The local authority dealt with the situation by the whole of last year, and is out of all comparison with entrusting charge of it to Dr. W. H. Davison, senior the experience recorded since the last epidemic period, assistant medical officer of health, Birmingham. A 1902-04. In view of the extent to which vaccination special hospital was set up, special vaccination stations of infants has ceased (the percentage of vaccinations were established, and all contacts were traced as far as for the whole country in 1921 being 38-3 per cent. of possible in view of the time which had been allowed to births, as compared with 70-9 per cent. in 1907), elapse. While fresh cases are still occurring, the and in view of the rarity of revaccination among the situation is fairly in hand, though there is urgent need adult civil population, the Ministry of Health regard of vaccination of the population. the situation with concern and hold the view that there is distinct risk of an outbreak of a serious character. The Present Distribution of Cases. The only practical remedy, now that the infection has The table (the figures in which are subject to been introduced, is increased recourse to vaccination, revision) shows the number of cases of small-pox and the Ministry of Health would urge that this remedy should be made use of as widely as possible. Vaccination can be obtained free of cost by reference to the public vaccinator in the area, who uses lymph of approved quality supplied by the Government Lymph Establishment at Hendon. The reserve of tubes at Hendon is well over a million at present, and can be expanded as required.
Origin of
the Outbreak.
MANCHESTER : ! HOMES.—At the
CARE OF THE BLIND IN THEIR meeting of the Manchester and Salford Blind Aid Society held at Manchester on July 5th, Mr. E. D. Macgregor, of the Ministry of Health, and other speakers paid a tribute to the society’s good work in the care of the blind in their homes. Founded in 1900, the society accommodates 20 blind men and 20 blind women at the Memorial Home of Rest in Southport, and also gives a holiday there to about 400 blind persons each year ; at another home 30 homeless blind women are provided for, and at a third home are 30 more blind of both sexes. According to the latest returns some 35,000 persons in England and Wales are blind within the definition of the Ministry of Healthi.e., so blind as to be unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential, but it is possible that the actual number is nearer 45,000. Of the 35,000 more than 55 per cent. are over 50 years of age, and approximately 50 per cent. are untrainable and unemployable, blindness in a considerable number of cases being accompanied by other physical or mental defects arising generally from the same cause as produced the blindness. Venereal disease is the largest single contributory cause of blindness, and accounts for 25 per cent. of the cases. There is some reason for believing that the incidence of blindness is declining and it is clear that ophthalmia neonatorum is decreasing. Mr. Macgregor, in outlining the organisation he conceived to be necessary for the blind in a city like Manchester, said that no city in the country was better placed for securing such an organisation than Manchester. The Corporation of Manchester, said Mr. Macgregor, had not so far as he knew yet spent one penny as an authority under the Blind Persons Act, and it was three years since that Act was passed, but there were signs of Manchester moving in the right direction in this work.
now
U.D., Urban District. R.D., Rural District. C.B., County Borough.
annual
SMALL-POX IN GLOUCESTER.
reported during each
of the four weeks ended
on
June 9th to June 30th in the various sanitary districts STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH. of the country. IN view of the public attention attracted by the outbreak of small-pox at Gloucester, the Ministry of Health has issued a statement to the following effect.
It will be seen that the total number of notifications for these four weeks is 408-as compared with 151 in January, 154 in February, 214 in March, 141 in April, and 112 in May.
Help in Diagnosis. The particulars given as to the outbreak at The outbreak at Gloucester was not dealt with as Gloucester indicate the dangers of incorrect diagnosis. It is the duty of the general practitioner to notify soon as it might have been, because of the refusal of to the medical officer of health, and if he is in small-pox the local medical officer of health to admit the presence of small-pox on a large scale in the city. There were, doubt as to diagnosis he consults that officer. If in latter has any doubt, he applies to the however, admitted cases of small-pox as early as April, his turn the and he was advised of the danger by the Ministry of Ministry of Health and the medical staff of the Health early in May on cases of small-pox occurring at Ministry at once assists him by advice on the spot as diagnosis and as to the action which should be places as distant from Gloucester as Liverpool and to taken to stamp out infection locally and prevent its Abertillery, the source of infection in which was traced to Gloucester. At the end of May, a medical officer of spreading. In view of the number of calls now being the Ministry of Health, present in Gloucester on a made on the Ministry and the limited staff available, arrangements have been made by which medical public inquiry, visited various suspected cases officers of health, especially expert in small-pox, are reported to him by medical practitioners which he to give immediate help as required in each of ready The officer of health as medical diagnosed small-pox. did not agree and Dr. A. F. Cameron, medical superin- 12 districts into which the country has been divided for tendent of the M.A.B. Small-pox Hospital at Dartford, this purpose. was then invited to the city and agreed with the Vaccination in Relation to Further Spread. diagnosis of the medical officer of the Ministry of The statistics show that the incidence of small-pox at Health. A subsequent house-to-house visitation by present is very widely spread over the country. The officers of the Ministry of Health established the number of notifications in the first six months of the existence of epidemic conditions beyond dispute. present year is largely in excess of the notifications for The local authority dealt with the situation by the whole of last year, and is out of all comparison with entrusting charge of it to Dr. W. H. Davison, senior the experience recorded since the last epidemic period, assistant medical officer of health, Birmingham. A 1902-04. In view of the extent to which vaccination special hospital was set up, special vaccination stations of infants has ceased (the percentage of vaccinations were established, and all contacts were traced as far as for the whole country in 1921 being 38-3 per cent. of possible in view of the time which had been allowed to births, as compared with 70-9 per cent. in 1907), elapse. While fresh cases are still occurring, the and in view of the rarity of revaccination among the situation is fairly in hand, though there is urgent need adult civil population, the Ministry of Health regard of vaccination of the population. the situation with concern and hold the view that there is distinct risk of an outbreak of a serious character. The Present Distribution of Cases. The only practical remedy, now that the infection has The table (the figures in which are subject to been introduced, is increased recourse to vaccination, revision) shows the number of cases of small-pox and the Ministry of Health would urge that this remedy should be made use of as widely as possible. Vaccination can be obtained free of cost by reference to the public vaccinator in the area, who uses lymph of approved quality supplied by the Government Lymph Establishment at Hendon. The reserve of tubes at Hendon is well over a million at present, and can be expanded as required.
Origin of
the Outbreak.
MANCHESTER : ! HOMES.—At the
CARE OF THE BLIND IN THEIR meeting of the Manchester and Salford Blind Aid Society held at Manchester on July 5th, Mr. E. D. Macgregor, of the Ministry of Health, and other speakers paid a tribute to the society’s good work in the care of the blind in their homes. Founded in 1900, the society accommodates 20 blind men and 20 blind women at the Memorial Home of Rest in Southport, and also gives a holiday there to about 400 blind persons each year ; at another home 30 homeless blind women are provided for, and at a third home are 30 more blind of both sexes. According to the latest returns some 35,000 persons in England and Wales are blind within the definition of the Ministry of Healthi.e., so blind as to be unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential, but it is possible that the actual number is nearer 45,000. Of the 35,000 more than 55 per cent. are over 50 years of age, and approximately 50 per cent. are untrainable and unemployable, blindness in a considerable number of cases being accompanied by other physical or mental defects arising generally from the same cause as produced the blindness. Venereal disease is the largest single contributory cause of blindness, and accounts for 25 per cent. of the cases. There is some reason for believing that the incidence of blindness is declining and it is clear that ophthalmia neonatorum is decreasing. Mr. Macgregor, in outlining the organisation he conceived to be necessary for the blind in a city like Manchester, said that no city in the country was better placed for securing such an organisation than Manchester. The Corporation of Manchester, said Mr. Macgregor, had not so far as he knew yet spent one penny as an authority under the Blind Persons Act, and it was three years since that Act was passed, but there were signs of Manchester moving in the right direction in this work.
now
U.D., Urban District. R.D., Rural District. C.B., County Borough.
annual