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SECTION E
PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE
The total number of notifications of infectious disease during
1954 was 624 as compared with 1,229 in 1953. The decrease was
mainly due to the smaller number of cases of measles and whooping
cough. These two diseases accounted for more than 68% of all
notifications.
There were no cases of diphtheria during the year. It should be
remembered that during the 10 years before the war, when there was
little or no immunisation carried out, the average number of cases
per year was well over 300. If immunisation Is not maintained a
recurrence of this disease on the previous scale could happen. The
greater part of the actual immunisation of infants and school
children is carried out by officers of the London County Council and
details of the work done is given in Section F of this report.
Five cases of suspected poliomyelitis were notified during the
year and in three cases the diagnosis was confirmed.
The number of cases of other diseases notified is shown in Table
10, which follows, and requires no special comment.
The arrangement whereby any variation In the original diagnosis is
notified by the Hospital Authorities continued in operation during the
year, and Table 10, which gives details of cases notified, has again
been prepared with a column showing the corrected figures for each
disease after taking into consideration the latest information
supplied by hospitals.
Contacts or Carriers of Infectious Disease - Sickness Benefit
Circular 115/48 of the Ministry of Health empowers the Medical
Officer of Health to issue certificates to persons who have been in
contact with or who are carriers of infectious disease, thus
enabling them to claim sickness benefit under the National Insurance
Acts, when he deems it necessary to exclude such persons from work.
It is only exceptionally that it is necessary to require a contact
or carrier of infectious disease to stay away from work and during
the year under review only two certificates were issued.