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As usual, several cases were admitted to hospital as suspected
of having poliomyelitis and difficulty was again experienced in
deciding between ill-defined non-paralytic cases of poliomyelitis
and cases due to a variety of other organisms causing similar
symptoms. A number of contacts with cases of poliomyelitis in
other Districts had also to be kept under observation
ENCEPHALITIS.
One case of a school child was notified. He was admitted to
The Grove Hospital and recovered.
MEASLES.
This most common infection is more prevalent in alternate
years and, as over 1,000 cases occurred in 1955, followed by only
82 in 1956, it was not surprising that the number of new cases
notified in 1957 was 1,184. The disease was again of a mild type
and, in fact, only two local cases with very exceptional complications
have died from this disease since the war.
WHOOPING COUGH
There was a slight decrease in the number of whooping cough
notifications received, i.e. 58 compared with 93 and 64 in the two
previous years and an average of 110 per annum since 1941 when
regular notification became the practice.