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Poliomyelitis
This is a rare disease nowadays, fortunately, due to the widespread use of vaccination, but a
case occurred during the year in rather unusual circumstances. It involved a boy of 16 who at the
age of ten months had had an attack of poliomyelitis which had caused some permanent damage to
muscles of the lower limbs, necessitating surgery later. This time he was admitted to hospital with
a history of headache, fever and sickness. His symptoms cleared up quickly and he was fit for
discharge in a few days. A virus was isolated and a provisional diagnosis of enteroviral infection
was made until the result of culture was available. It was shown two weeks later to be a type 2 polio
virus, but several months went by before it was ultimately established to be of a wild variety — not
the "tame" organisms used in vaccines. In other words he had had a second attack of the disease.
As far as was known he had never been given polio vaccine. If this is so it may have been
because it was assumed that because he had had the infection he would be immune to it in future, but
it is not always realised that there are three types of polio and that they do not confer mutual
immunity against each other. The vaccine should be given even if a person has had the disease.
Typhoid
One case occurred during the year. A boy aged 11 took ill in India in August. A local doctor
treated him for paratyphoid and the symptoms cleared up. The source of the infection was not known.
The family came to this country in early September and he took ill again a week later. He was
admitted to hospital and typhoid organisms were isolated from his blood. He responded well to
treatment and no evidence of the disease was found in other members of the family. After he was
discharged the family went overseas again in November.
The Department followed up Haringey contacts of three cases in other boroughs which had been
infected abroad. All were negative for typhoid.
Non-Events
Non-events of the year included outbreaks of smallpox, diphtheria and poliomyelitis. For these
we would like to thank the conscientious parents of Haringey who took care to have their children
vaccinated and immunised. To those parents who did not we would like to say: don't rely too much
on other parents to give your children a safe environment in which to live, but have your children
protected now. You might not be so lucky this year.
Vaccination against Smallpox
There was an increase in the number of primary vaccinations from 1899 in 1967 to 2477 in 1968.
The greatest number of these are done for the recommended age group between 1 and 2 years old.
Over the age of 5 years, primary vaccination is not recommended as a routine, but may be necessary
when travelling abroad.
Primary vaccination is now regarded as the first step in an attempt to maintain resistance to the
disease, and in the new Immunisation Schedule re-vaccinations at School Entry and School Leaving
are advised. A start was made at the end of 1968 on re-vacci nation at School Entry age.