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EPIDEMIC ENCEPHALITIS - Two notifications were received during the year. The
patients were 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 1957
POLIOMYELITIS - During the year 2 cases were notified. Both showed paralysis.
One recovered fully and the other is continuing treatment as an out-patient.
Inoculation against poliomyelitis was continued during the year and 2,636 children
were given two injections of vaccine. At the end of the year a fair number of
children have also had the first injection. Experience has shown that reactions,
local or general, to these inoculations are comparatively rare
TYPHOID FEVER - No case of typhoid fever was notified during the year.
PARATYPHOID FEVER - No notification was received during the year.
DYSENTERY - This disease shows great variations in prevalence from year to year
and from place to place During the year, 7 cases were notified, as compared with
22 in 1956
The infection in all cases was of the Sonne type and the illness was mild in
practically every case. The mildness of the illness is such that medical advice is
not always sought, and unless the disease is kept constantly in mind, cases are
likely to be missed. In all cases of diarrhoea in children and on the least suspicion
in adults, a specimen of faeces should be sent for bacteriological investigation.
Only by such vigilance will this disease be kept under some degree of control.
TUBERCULOSIS - During the year 67 notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis, and
15 notifications of non-pulmonary terberculosis were received Persons continue to
be certified as dying from tuberculosis who have not been notified during life, but
it is hoped that with the improved facilities for diagnosis and treatment now available,
any reluctance to seek investigation and treatment will disappear.

A permanent mass X-ray unit has been established at West Middlesex Hospital and
is open to the public without appointment.
In 1906 Calmette and Guerin began to cultivate a particular strain of tubercle
bacillus and, in due course, claimed that an injection of this strain would stimulate
the body defence against tuberculosis without producing the disease in those inoculated.
This strain is now known as Bacillus Calmette Guerin (B.C.G.) and especially
since the war, has been used extensively in many parts of the world. Very conflicting
evidence as to its value has been submitted, so in 1950 the Tuberculosis Research
Unit of the Medical Research Council started an investigation of the preventive value
of this vaccine. Those taking part in the trial were all volunteers from pupils in
their last year at secondary modern schools, and Heston and Isleworth was one of the
participating districts. Over 50,000 children throughout the country took part in the
trial and they are still being followed up. School leavers were selected because
the greatest risk of contact with known or unsuspected cases of tuberculosis occurs
after leaving the relatively sheltered school environment. This research has shown
Quite clearly that susceptible school leavers inoculated with B.C G. are much less
likely to develop pulmonary tuberculosis, and the County Council decided to offer
this protection to all school leavers.
The protection takes some time to develop, so the practice is to skin-test all
13 year-old pupils, whose parents consent and to inoculate those found to have no
protection. During the year 1,731 children were inoculated under this Scheme.
OPTHALMIA NEONATORUM- One case was reported but no damage to sight resulted.
PUERPERAL PYREXIA - During the year 98 cases were notified as compared with 69
cases in 1956. No woman died from puerperal or post-abortion sepsis.
MEASLES - This disease was more prevalent - 804 cases as compared with 244 in
1956
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