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Scarlet Fever
Twenty-two cases of scarlet fever were notified during the
year, as against 17 cases in 1956 and 26 cases in 1955.
It must again be stressed that the character of scarlet
fever has altered materially, so much so that the disease is now
mild in almost every case, no complications or sequelae having
been reported. We must always bear in mind, however, the possibility
of the more serious type of scarlet fever returning. To
be perfectly frank, this is the sole reason which I can see for
scarlet fever continuing to appear among the list of notifiable
infectious diseases.
In view of the extremely mild character of the cases of this
disease now being met, it is no longer considered necessary to
exclude contacts of scarlet fever from school. Here again, of
course, this procedure would have to be amended if a different
type of scarlet fever made its appearance.
Pollomyelitis
Pour cases of paralytic poliomyelitis and two cases of nonparalytic
poliomyelitis were notified during the year,as against
four paralytic cases and one non-paralytic case during 1956 -
January - Boy aged 6 - non-paralytic
February - Girl aged 13 - paralytic
July - Boy aged 7½ - paralytic
July - Boy aged 5 - paralytic
July - Boy aged 2 - paralytic
August - Boy aged 5 - non-paralytic
In all cases a good recovery was made.
As can be seen from the above list, three of the six cases
reported during the year occurred in July, At the same time,
four cases were reported from the adjoining part of the Borough
of Southgate,thus involving a total of seven children developing
poliomyelitis within a period of a few weeks in the Alexandra
Bowes Ward and in the adjoining portion of Southgate. At the
time, it looked as though we might be at the onset of an outbreak
or even an epidemic. The strictest measures of hygiene
were therefore undertaken in all the schools concerned, while a
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