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The year 1954, on the whole, showed a lower incidence of infectious
disease than 1953. The number of cases of measles was 963 as compared
with 1,231 the previous year. Whooping cough cases numbered 271 as
compared with 820 in the year 1953.
(a) Smallpox.—No cases were notified during 1954.
The following gives particulars as to vaccination during 1954:—
Primary vaccination 1,359
Re-Vaccination 465
Under the National Health Service Act, 1946, compulsory vaccination
was abolished, and from 5th July, 1948, this service became the responsibility
of the Essex County Council vide Section 26 of the National Health
Service Act, 1948.
(b) Scarlet Fever.—288 cases occurred in 1954. There were no deaths
from this disease. Ten cases were admitted to Isolation Hospitals outside
the district.
(c) Diphtheria.—No cases occurred in 1954. This is the third
successive year in which it has been possible to record a clean " bill of
health" for this disease in Ilford.
(d) Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—No cases occurred in 1954.
The following figures show the number of cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum
notified during the past five years: 1950, 2; 1951, 3; 1952, nil;
1953, nil; 1954, nil. It is to be remembered that many cases of ophthalmia
neonatorum are not due to gonorrheal infection.
(e) Enteric Fever.—One case was reported during 1954. This occurred
in a female of 38 years who had visited the River Rhine with a party for
a holiday. The organism discovered in the case was one of Salmonella
Para-typhoid "B."
(f) Acute Poliomyelitis. Only one case of this disease occurred in Ilford
during the year—a boy of thirteen years. The case proved to be one of
the paralytic type. The patient was removed to the Ilford Isolation Hospital
and made a good recovery. One death from this disease occurred of a
boy of eight years in a South Coast hospital, but had normally been
resident in Ilford.
(g) Acute Encephalitis. Only one case of this disease occurred—a
female child of nine weeks old. The patient was admitted to the Ilford
Isolation Hospital but died twelve days afterwards from Encephalitis
associated with chicken pox.
(h) Meningococcal Infection. Four cases of this disease occurred—
males of 33 years and 3 years and females of 12 days and 3 years. All
the cases were removed to hospital. The male child of three years died
two days after admission to hospital from pneumococcal meningitis.
(i) Pneumonia—Influenzal and Primary. This disease was less prevalent
in 1954 than in 1953, the number of notifications being 148 and 219
respectively.
(j) Tuberculosis. During 1954 there were 158 new notifications of
Pulmonary Tuberculosis and 24 of other forms of Tuberculosis. There
were in addition 24 pulmonary and 1 non-pulmonary cases transferred to
the Ilford district.