Mr. Braddockasked the Minister of Health whether, in the report of his Department for the year ended 31st March, 1946, the figure of four cases of smallpox in 1945 is correct, in view of the interim report of the London county medical officer of health for 1945, that the final diagnosis of the disease in the two neighbours of the soldier and his sister who developed smallpox in Camberwell was vaccinia malaise in one case and scabies in the other; and whether this revision of the diagnosis of disease notified to the Registrar-General as smallpox was brought to the notice of that official or his Department.
§ Mr. BevanThe figure mentioned is the number of notified cases of smallpox recorded by the Registrar-General as it appeared in the final return of infectious disease notifications from the district concerned for the quarter in which these cases occurred. The final diagnosis of two of the cases was not known to the Registrar-General at the time his return was made.