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105
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—In respect of this disease 2
notifications were received. One case was removed to the Royal
Eye Hospital for treatment and the other was kept under observation
by the Health Visitor at home.
Both made a full recovery.
Poliomyelitis.—Six notifications were received and of this
total only 5 were finally confirmed, 3 being of the paralytic type and
2 non—paralytic. Figures for the year 1953 and 1952 were 11 and 10
respectively.
The one death registered as being from this disease concerned a
10 year old boy who had been admitted to hospital as a suspected
meningitis case. Subsequently the autopsy revealed that death was
due to bulbo—spinal poliomyelitis and a notification to this effect was
received and is included in the total of 5 confirmed cases.
No determinable relationship was established between the
cases which were distributed throughout the area thus :—West
Greenwich 1 ; Charlton and Kidbrooke 4.
All notified cases were treated in hospital.
In virus diseases such as measles and smallpox where a vir—
aemia is present, immunity is so prolonged that it is the opinion of
many that the virus persists in the tissues throughout life.
There is a growing feeling in some circles that Poliomyelitis
conforms in like manner to behaviour observed in other virus
infections, namely, that it is a life—long occupant of the body in a
large proportion of the population and becomes evident and destructive
only in response to certain stimuli or perhaps after change
of environment.
Seventy years after an attack of Yellow Fever a high titre of
antibody has been found ; a feature almost certainly indicating the
persistence of the virus in the body.
The herpes virus is acquired early and persists throughout life
in about 60% of the population. As a result, such people possess a
high titre of antibody and the virus shows itself only after a cold or
other seemingly small upset.
So it may be with Poliomyelitis.
The possible connection of bulbar paralysis following tonsillectomy
or paralysis of the muscles of a limb recently subjected to
inoculation for diphtheria or whooping—cough immunisation, and
more especially in regard to the combined injection, have been the
subject of intensive research and there is much support for the
theory that the recrudescence of a latent virus will sometimes occur
when it gains access to a new type of tissue in the same host.