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Seasonal Prevalence.—The following table shows the number of cases notified in each
four-weekly period during 1932:—

Diphtheria Carriers.—There is a clinic for diphtheria carriers held at St. Mary's Hospital,
but only a small number of cases attend during the course of a year. These are mostly
contacts of acute diphtheria cases sent by medical practitioners for treatment.
Anti-Diphtheritic Serum.—This is stocked at the Town Hall and supplied to medical
practitioners on request for the use of patients who are too poor to obtain such serum
privately. During the year 19 phials of 4,000 units and 2 phials of 500 units were distributed.
Schick Test.—No use was made of this test during the year.
SMALLPOX.
Two cases of this disease were notified during the year, one of which was contracted in
hospital. The other case was found to have resulted from contact with a patient in another
Borough.
A number of persons who had been exposed to risk of infection from cases occurring outside
the Borough were kept under observation until all danger of their developing the disease
was over.
During the year all vaccinations of smallpox contacts were performed by the Public
Vaccinator. None were performed by the Medical Officer of Health under the Public Health
(Smallpox Prevention) Regulations, 1917.
VACCINATION.
There are two vaccination districts in the Borough, one consisting of the Paddington
Hospital, for which the Medical Superintendent, Dr. W. G. Bendle, acts as Public
Vaccinator, and the other of the rest of the Borough, the Public Vaccinator being Dr. S.
Denovan Adam.
The Vaccination Officer is Mr. T. E. Rainger, who was appointed to that position in
1931. The appointment is a part-time one, Mr. Rainger also holding a position on the
clerical staff of the Public Health Department.
During the year one primary vaccination was performed in the Paddington Hospital. In
the rest of the Borough 755 infants under one year of age, and 62 persons over that age were
successfully vaccinated by the Public Vaccinator, by whom also 27 persons were re-vaccinated
who had been successfully vaccinated at some previous time.
The total number of vaccinations actually performed in the Borough was .1,393. This
number comprises children born in the Borough and transfers from other districts.
The latest return available as to the state of vaccination in the Borough is for the year
1931. This shows that 63.7 per cent. of the children whose births were registered during
that year were successfully vaccinated, and that 15.9 per cent. were exempted on production
of statutory declarations of conscientious objection. Insusceptibility, postponements,
removals, deaths, and not traced, account for the remaining 20.4 per cent.
Legal proceedings were taken for non-compliance with the provisions of the Vaccination
Acts in 42 cases. Of these 22 were successfully vaccinated subsequent to the proceedings
being taken. Adjournments (sine die or otherwise), Magistrate's Orders for vaccination,
cases withdrawn and 3 summonses not served, account for the balance.