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EPIDEMIOLOGY
Notification of Infectious Diseases
954 cases of infectious diseases were notified during the year,including
153 cases removed to hospital.
These figures show a decrease on the previous year of 550 cases, attributable
in the main to a large decrease in the number of measles cases,
Notifications for whooping cough and dysentery were also less than the previous
year. There was an increase in the number of cases of scarlet fever
notified.
Under the Public Health (Infective Jaundice) Regulations, 1968,which
came into force on the 15th June, 1968, infective jaundice became generally
notifiable throughout the country. The principal object of these regulations
is to enable Medical Officers of Health to inquire into the epidemiological
background of notified cases.
New regulations concerning the notification of infectious diseases,
the Public Health (Infectious Disease) Regulations, 1968, came into operation
on the 1st October, 1968. These regulations consolidate, with
amendments, all previous regulations relating to the notification and prevention
of infectious disease except the Public Health (Prevention of Tuberculosis)
Regulations, 1925.
The principal changes from the earlier regulations are:-
(a) any obligation to notify a case of disease now rests solely on
a medical practitioner;
(b) changes and additions are made to the list of diseases which are
to be notified and of the sections which apply to each disease.
In particular, acute primary pneumonia, acute influenzal pneumonia,
acute rheumatism and puerperal pyrexia are no longer to
be notified, and tetanus and yellow fever require for the first
time to be notified;
(c) leptospirosis, hitherto to be notified only in certain areas,is
to be notified throughout England and Wales;
(d) the powers of a Medical Officer of Health of a district to vaccinate
contacts of persons suffering from smallpox have been
extended to other diseases;
(e) all documents relating to notifications are to be treated as
confidential;
(f) the powers of a local authority to require a person to stop work,
in order to prevent spread of infection, are extended to permit
action in cases of food poisoning.
Incidence of Infectious Diseases
Dysentery
Of the 57 cases notified in respect of persons resident within the
Borough, 35 were due to 11 small family outbreaks, the remainder being
of a sporadic nature.
Food Poisoning
There was one small general outbreak and three family outbreaks
A.1.