[Report 1940] / Medical Officer of Health, Wrexham Borough.

  • Wrexham (Wales). Borough Council.
Date:
1940
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Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1940] / Medical Officer of Health, Wrexham Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/20
    -6- l» i‘'o-u:2cil s. The experience dtLrin^%he ;;'ear follov'ing the p-ucl ication of this report supported the conclusions already published especially v:ith reference to the successful results of- mode-rn chemical thtera.py, nai'iiely the use of a drug kno^m as li.& B. 693 su.lph*apyridlne. ' • 4 . • •••*•• Some ^o_f ^the-^cases ^frora ,the ^Bo^i’ough nvhicii were arlmitted to the Pevcu’jHospital uere ^qf _a.n extp'^cmel;;'_acqt e ^tj^e and rhe effect of the drug was almost miraculous in causing; a striking subsidehce~*of' symptoms and a quick coranencement of convalescence, r 17ith very few exceptions there T.'ere no marked complications following discharge from Hospital though in one C3.se, a child of six months, this infection was followed by a v.'eaJcness of the neck muscles v;hich required medicofL, attention in 1941 •• f^iiy epidemic such as this, it is onl3'’ ns.tural that there should be difficulties in diagnosis, and it is for this reason that certain cases vrere admitted to the Pever Hospital from the Borough (as well as from, out^rdc the 'Boraugh) vhich did not turn out to be Cerebro-spinal Meningitis, and unfortunately some of these cases died, ■ . Bu.ring the epidemic vhich occurred towards the end of the Great Har 19^4 “ the mortality from this disease v.us extremely high, but the present mortality rate has been brouglit down to approximately 10 per cent. ^ith reference to Prevention, this v'as discussed in my Report and there, is very little I can add. Emphasis v/as laid on the fact that as j^'et we have no facilities for successful immuiisation against the disease so tliat the methods of prevention are more of a personal'character, such as the avoidance of over- crov.'ding conditions such as those fou.nd. in cinemas, congregations and in trsuisport vehicles. At the some time, enphasis should be laid oh the necessitjr for adequat'e’ventilation pspeciallj'’ during winter mo’nths when'lighting're'strict ions are so necessary. It must'be remembered that it is diffucult to arrange adequate ventilation with an appropriate black-out. I need hardly state that during an epidemic such as the 6ns we. have been throu.gh, re have had every support from the Medical Practitioners, from the Militarj’’ Authorities, and more especially from Dr. 17ade, Medical Heraber of the Tfelsh Board of Health and Dr. Robinson, Bacteriologist from the Conway Laboratory. T/e have also received assistance from Dr. Ernest Jones, Bacteriologist of the Wellington Laboratory who was asked to visit the Hospital by the Military Authorities. The \7ork of Dr, Robinson cjid Dr. Ernest Jones indicated tliat the throat and nose of C.S.E, patients were rendered sterile following the use of sulphapyridine. This sterilising effect of sulphapj'ridine has been carried out in the case of carriers v;ho have been admitted to the Eever Hospital but naturally owing to toxicitj! of the drug cannot be used a.s a routine procedure for treating contacts.