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105
During the year some 319 certificates of persons proceeding
abroad were so authenticated, of these 225 were in respect of Smallpox,
69 for Cholera and 25 for Typhoid. Five vaccinations and 1
inoculation for T.A.B. were actually carried out by your Medical
Officer of Health.
Measles.—The normal biennial fluctuation was evident in the
sharp increase in the number of notified cases from a figure of 28
confirmed in 1954 to 1,684 for the current year.
Fifty cases occurred in children under one year of age and 1,605
between one and ten years.
Of the 41 patients removed to hospital 2 males, one aged 10
months and the other 3 years, died.
The distribution of the cases was as follows:—East Greenwich
543; West Greenwich 284; St. Nicholas, Deptford 98; Charlton and
Kidbrooke 759.
During 1953, 560 cases were recorded and in 1952 there were
918.
Whooping Cough.—Altogether 165 notifications were received
in 1955, a decrease of 58 from the previous year. The year 1953
produced 236 and there were 190, 384 and 309 respectively for the
years 1952, 1951 and 1950.
Area distribution for the present period was:—East Greenwich
55; West Greenwich 26; St. Nicholas, Deptford 2; Charlton and
Kidbrooke 82.
Nine cases were admitted to hospital but there were no fatalities.
Diphtheria.—There was only one notified case of Diphtheria
during the year and this occurred in a woman of 52 years. She
received hospital treatment and was discharged free from infection.
Bacteriological investigation of a throat swab revealed the presence
of "a rather degenerate strain of C. Diphtheria gravis with a slight
but definite virulence for guinea-pig." On request, this information
was forwarded to the Ministry of Health.
One case was confirmed in 1954; there was none in 1953; 4 in
1952; and a nil return was recorded for 1951.
Since 1945, diphtheria notifications for England and Wales
have fallen from 18,596 to 161, the figure for the current year.
Over the same period deaths have decreased from 722 to 11.