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SmalIpox
No cases or contacts of smallpox were notified during the year.
Vaccination against Smallpox

Total number of first vaccinations:-
1951 1952 1953 1954
298 373 548 487
It will be noted that 400 children under 1 year of age were vaccinated out
of 803 born during the year i.e. approximately 50%. This is a slight decrease
from last year when the figure was 55%.
It is disappointing to note that the vaccination figures,which were showing
an improvement in 1953, have decreased, especially since the major amount of
the decrease is in the infants of under 2 years of age. Vaccination of infants
under 1 year of age has dropped from 469 in 1953 to 400 in 1954, and in the 1
year age group from 33 to 17. This may be due to the fact that no major campaign
for health education on the subject of the dangers of smallpox was carried out
in 1954.
Scarlet Fever
A rise in the number of notifications of scarlet fever is to be seen, the
figures being 95 in 1954 as compared with 65 in 1953. 29 cases were admitted
to hospital and the disease did not appear to be severe in type.
A secondary case, i.e a patient developing the infection subsequent to
the first case occurring in the same household, occurred in only one instance,
the first patient having been nursed at home, and the second developing the
infection twenty-two days later.
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