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assisted by the use of cough plates or pharyngeal swabs for the
identification of the bacillus. The cough increases gradually
over seven or even fourteen days before the characteristic whoop
occurs. Medical advice is desirable so that suitable drugs can
be prescribed to reduce the strain on the lungs and to minimise
the danger of complication. Careful nursing and careful convalescence
are essential.
Immunisation against Whooping Cough. Immunisation by
protective vaccines is now available free of charge for children
under five years through the family doctor or at Child Welfare
Clinics. In 1953 four hundred and sixty three children received
immunising injections. The material used is H. Pertussis suspended
vaccine (20,000 million bacilli per c.c.) Three injections of
1 c.c. are given at monthly intervals. Immunisation against
Diphtheria and Whooping Cough can be combined and is increasingly
popular. The injections are given subcutaneously to avoid
irritation of muscle which might lead to selective paralysis in
children incubating Poliomyelitis. The vaccines are effective
and can prevent or greatly modify the illness.
Small Pox. No case was notified.
Vaccination against Small Pox. The voluntary response to
infant vaccination has been good. Five hundred babies under the
age of one year were vaccinated. The percentage of 53.3 compares
with 53.2 in 1952. infant vaccination provides a basic immunity
in the population and is a necessary precaution against Small Pox.
The risk of mortality from Small Pox is reduced and re-vaccination
in later years is more likely to be free from severe reaction and
complication. Outbreaks of Small Pox can occur suddenly. Vaccination
against Small Pox is a wise precaution and the only sure
protection. All babies should be vaccinated between three and
six months, the safest age for vaccination. The service is free
of charge and available through medical practitioners and clinics.

Puerperal Pyrexia. Twenty two cases were notified in 1953
compared with sixteen cases in 1952. A revised definition of
Puerperal Pyrexia In the Puerperal Pyrexia Regulations, 1951 made
notifiable "any febrile condition occurring in a woman in whom a
temperature of 100.4 Fahrenheit (38 Centigrade) or more has
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