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46
NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
The total number of notification certificates received
during the year, including eight relating to Cerebrospinal
Meningitis, was 1,999; of these 105 were
duplicates, a proportion of five per cent, on the whole
number.
On the 20th of February 1907 the Local Government
Board issued a circular relative to Cerebro-spinal
or spotted fever. The circular, a print of which will
be found in the appendix pointed out that the disease
had recently been somewhat prevalent in parts of
Ireland and Scotland but that there was no ground
for apprehension in the matter. It however appeared
to the Board that Sanitary Authorities should be on
the alert to detect the presence of the disease in their
districts or to satisfy themselves as to its absence.
Enclosed with the circular was a memorandum by Dr.
Power, the Medical Officer to the Board which
described the various forms which the disease might
take and gave instructions as to its correct diagnosis
by bacteriological examination of cerebro-spinal fluid.
The Board's circular called attention to the powers
possessed by local authorities to make an Order with
respect to the compulsory notification of the disease;
following on this the London County Council made
an Order which was approved by the Board making
Cerebro-spinal Fever a notifiable disease for a period
of six months. On the 28th of August the London
County Council made a further Order extending the
notification period for an additional period of