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Family practitioners, local hospitals and neighbouring Medical Officers of Health
were kept informed by a weekly bulletin, sometimes issued as a special supplement to the
routine weekly infectious diseases bulletin which had been sent out for some years previously
Domiciliary contacts found to be due for operative procedures within the possible incubation
period and expectant mothers similarly placed were reported to practitioners hospitals and
local health authority midwives, etc. as appropriate, and this included cases due for E N T
operations and large-scale dental extractions
No general public restrictions were put into effect but schools were advised to refrain
from arranging swimming galas Advice was given to the Baths Departments of the local authorities
to maintain the maximum tolerable chlorination although again no restrictions were imposed on
school children's attendance by classes at swimming pools The only personal restriction imposed
was the exclusion from employment of contacts (some found bacteriologically positive) working
as food handlers or as school or day nursery staffs
After the outbreak had been in progress for some weeks a meeting was arranged under the
auspices of local Divisions of the B M A to which all practitioners in the area were invited
and at which the main features of the outbreak were reported upon by hospital Consulting staff
Public Health Laboratory Service and Medical Officers of the County Council and Borough Council
Throughout the whole period of this outbreak there was the closest possible co-operation
between the Department, London County Council Health Division 3 the Public Health Laboratory
Service, family practitioners and the Hospitals
Seven of the cases had had two polio inoculations at some time prior to onset and were
therefore presumed to have some degree of immunity but not sufficient for complete protection
Since it was estimated that approximately half of the children under 15 years at the period of
the outbreak had been immunised (with two but not with three injections) it will be apparent
that there were many more cases in those who had not been immunised than in those immunised
and this gives some measure of the protection afforded even with two inoculations Of the fatal
cases none had had any poliomyelitis vaccine inoculations Every home where cases occurred or
where information of a contact was received was of course visited by the Department s staff
and investigation was also undertaken in conjunction with the Public Health Laboratory Service
of contacts who might be carriers of the virus In all. 238 contacts were examined of whom 66
were found to be temporary symptomless carriers of poliomyelitis virus Appropriate supervision
and exclusion measures were put into effect dependent upon the particular circumstances of the
carrier.
No. Reported No. CONFIRMED
1959 109 60+
1958 37 10
1957 55 25
1956 34 13*
1955 97 56
1954 35 12
1953 47 17
1952 30 15
1951 21 8
1950 54 31
+ Includes a case notified posthumously and not included in Registrar
General's Tables
* Two cases, with onset in December, 1956, were notified in 1957, and
are included in the above returns