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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DIPHTHERIA
I am pleased to record that once again Hornsey has had a year
free from diphtheria. In the country as a whole the incidence of this
disease has remained much the same as in 1954 with 161 cases and 11
deaths (provisional figures). These national figures are small, particularly
when compared with an average death rate between the wars
of 3,000 per year; but to the relatives of the children concerned the
tragedy is great indeed—especially as it need not happen. The existence
of a fatal disease which is so easily (and cheaply) preventable cannot
be condoned.
The aim is modest enough. It is to immunise three babies out of
every four before they reach their first birthdays; but even this appears
unobtainable despite all the exhortation of public health workers and
others. During 1955 the proportion of infants immunised before
their first birthday in Hornsey fell from 60% to 58%. Nationally the
figures for this age are not so good being 39% in 1954 and 38.47%
in the first half of 1955. Diphtheria must be driven from this country
and only by obtaining a sufficiently high proportion of immunised
children can this be done.
MEASLES
There were 1,464 cases notified during the year and no deaths
resulted from the disease. Only 21 were over 10 years of age as normally
most children contract measles before they leave the infants' school.
Eighteen of the children needed hospital treatment and of this
number six had broncho-pneumonia as a complication. The total
number of complicated cases was 11 but all resulted in an uneventful
recovery.
TUBERCULOSIS
Once tuberculosis is diagnosed, with reasonable co-operation and
understanding on the part of the patient, the case ceases to be a serious
source of spread of infection. The disease is mainly spread by unknown
cases who may have failed to take advantage of mass radiography
and other case finding techniques or even deliberately avoided medical
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