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The age distribution of notifiable disease during 1955 is shown in Table V„
SMALLPOX - No case of smallpox occurred in the Borough during 1955. Persons
arriving in the Borough from parts of the world where smallpox is prevalent, are
kept under observation till any chance of their developing the disease is over,
Freedom from smallpox has resulted in a neglect of infant vaccination.
According to the returns, 375 children under the age of one year were vaccinated in
1955. Modern travel is such that the risk of importing smallpox is ever present.
SCARLET FEVER - The continuing mildness of this disease is tending to make
parents, and possibly doctors, careless about home isolation and other measures to
prevent the spread of infection. Of the 74 cases which occurred during the year,
13 were admitted to hospital No death from this disease has occurred in the
Borough since 1937
DIPHTHERIA - The Borough s freedom from diphtheria was maintained during the
year. The ravages of this disease are not remembered by the younger parents and
they must not be lulled into a false sence of security, As far as is known
immunisation is the one safeguard, but unfortunately the proportion of young children
protected is falling The number of children under the age of one year who were
immunised during 1955 was 525 as compared with 610 in 1954
ERYSIPELAS- The number of notifications was 17, but no death was due to this
disease.
PNEUMONIA- Notifications of pneumonia were 50, as compared with 34 in 1954.
The death rate from pneumonia per 1000 population was 0.4, compared with 0.3 in
1954. Of the total pneumonia deaths 80 per cent, occurred at age 65 and over.
MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTION- No case was notified during the year.
EPIDEMIC ENCEPHALITIS- One notification was received during the year. The
patient was admitted to hospital and recovered.
POST-INFECTIVE ENCEPHALITIS- Encephalitis is known to occur as a complication
of other infectious diseases, but no such case was notified during 1955.
POLIOMYELITIS AND POLIOENCEPHALITIS- During the year 13 cases were notified.
Of these 8 showed no paralysis and of the others 2 were transferred to orthopaedic
hospitals and 3 to orthopaedic departments for further treatment.
The method of spread of this disease has still to be discovered. The virus
has been isolated from the throat and bowel of patients, from the bowel of
symptomless contacts and from sewage even in places where no case of the disease has
been notified for years. Again, where no case of poliomyelitis has been known to
occur antibodies to the virus have been found in the blood of a large proportion of
the children tested. These findings support the view that the infection is much
more widespread than the occurrence of clinical cases would suggest.
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