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It can be said that some improvement occurred during
1953 in this aspect of the treatment of poliomyelitis, but the
Public Health Department continues to press for the removal of
all sufferers to infectious disease hospitals.
In 1953, the broad investigation conducted by the Medical
Research Council, involving a comparison between the histories
of child sufferers from poliomyelitis and those for selected
healthy children of the same age group, was concluded, and
the results are awaited. The second investigation, concerning
the possible association between inoculations and operations
and the contraction of the disease, is still continuing in
co-operation with the Medical Research Council.
Acute encephalitis
No case of this disease was notified in the borough
during 1953.
Measles
Of the seven hundred and forty cases notified during
1953, twenty-nine were admitted to hospital for treatment. No
death occurred from this disease.
Ophthalmia neonatorum
Seven cases of this disease were notified and all
except one were treated in hospital. All recovered without
injury to sight.
Gastro-enteritis
This disease is notifiable in children up to the age of
five years. The number of cases reported during the year was
twenty-seven. Ten were removed to hospital for treatment.
Six deaths of children under five years of age were recorded
as due to gastritis, enteritis or diarrhoea.
Scabies
The number of notifications of this disease during 1953
was forty-two, which compares with twenty-six in the previous
year and four hundred and sixty-three in the peak year of 1946.
Tuberculosis
During the year two hundred and fifty-six new cases of
tuberculosis were notified, of which two hundred and thirty-three
were respiratory and twenty-three non-respiratory cases.
The following table shows the number of cases added to
and the number removed from, the notification register during
the year:-