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NOTIFIABLE INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The total number of notifications of infectious disease
received during the year was 2,720 of which 26 cases were subsequently
found not to be suffering from the disease notified.
There were only three deaths of notified cases. A table of notifications
appears on page 33.
Diphtheria.
It is gratifying to record that for the second successive year
no confirmed case of this disease occurred in the Borough. The
intensive publicity campaign which has been conducted for
diphtheria immunisation has, without doubt, been the main
contribution to this satisfactory state of affairs, but the reduction
in the incidence of diphtheria must not be allowed to give rise
to apathy on the part of the public. In order to prevent the
possibility of this dread disease again rearing its ugly head, it
is imperative that an adequate level of immunisation should be
maintained. The publicity campaign must, therefore, be
vigorously continued so that parents may be constantly reminded
that " diphtheria still kills " and it is their duty to
ensure that their children are properly protected against this
disease.
Paratyphoid Fever.
Only one case of this disease occurred during the year which
was apparently contracted whilst the patient was on holiday
on the South Coast. Full particulars were forwarded to the
Medical Officer of Health for the district concerned.
Puerperal Pyrexia.
There were 118 cases of puerperal pyrexia notified during
the year as compared with 60 in 1951. The increase is mainly
due to the operation of the Puerperal Pyrexia Regulations, 1951,
which slightly modified the definition of this disease so that any
fever of 100.4 deg. F. or more in a woman within fourteen days
after confinement or miscarriage became notifiable. The
Regulations also required the notification to be accepted by the
Medical Officer of Health for the area in which the case occurs
regardless of the home address of the patient. Consequently, all
cases occurring in St. Giles' and Dulwich Hospitals are included
in the figures for this Borough. One hundred and fourteen of
the notified cases were treated in hospital and there were no
deaths.