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Infectious Diseases in School Children, 1961
Apart from measles, which showed the sharp increase anticipated
in the alternate year, there were no epidemics throughout the Area
in 1961.
Poliomyelitis
As a matter for encouragement but not for complacency, it is
a pleasure to record that there were no cases of poliomyelitis in
school children in either borough. In July, a 12-year old Hornsey
girl was admitted to hospital as a suspected case, but subsequent
laboratory investigations confirmed the ultimate diagnosis of staphylococcal
septicaemia.
Dysentery
The smouldering infection in a day nursery, which had clouded
the summer of 1960, did not recur; and only six cases of dysentery
were notified, three from each borough. This shows a most satisfactory
improvement over the two previous years; for there were 66
in 1960, whilst, in 1959 , 251 cases occurred in Tottenham alone.
Tuberculosis
Five new cases of tuberculosis, of which four were due to
pulmonary infection, were notified in Tottenham during 1961. In
each case the source of the disease lay in the home environment,
so that an epidemiological survey in the respective schools of these
children was not deemed to be necessary.
There were no new cases in Hornsey children throughout the
year, although a student, aged 19, was found to have pulmonary
tuberculosis. Since, however, she had moved into her 'digs' in
the borough only a day or two before the disease was discovered,
the source of her infection lay outside this district.
B. C. G. Vaccination
The table below bears record to a year of steady accomplishment
in the maintenance of a B. C.G. programme amongst the thirteenyear
old population. Much of this work is of a routine nature, a
considerable chore to medical and clerical staff alike; but there can
be no doubt that the pin-pointing of children in contact with tuberculosis,
with early referral to a chest clinic for observation or treatment, and
the measure of immunity given by vaccination to the remaining pupils,
are vital, if unspectacular, forms of preventative medicine. For
the second time students from two technical colleges were incorporated
in the scheme and there was a gratifying increase in the proportion
of those approached who received vaccination (74.2% as against 29.4%
last year).
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