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16
PART 2
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
During the year 3,344 notifications of infectious diseases were
received, 1,464 more than in 1966. This increase was anticipated
as measles is prevalent in alternate years.
The total number of confirmed notifiable infectious diseases
reported, arranged in age groups and in the areas in which they
occurred, is shown in Tables 1 and 2 on pages 22 and 23. A
commentary on the notifications is given below.
Vaccination and immunization against certain infectious diseases
is one of the personal health services available to certain limited
groups of people and a reference to this service will be found on
page 71.
Diphtheria
No confirmed cases were reported in 1967, but early in the year
a man receiving routine investigation at a local hospital was thought
to be a carrier of the disease. Family contacts and a number of
other persons who had been in contact with the patient were closely
followed up by the staff of the department, but no further cases
came to light. In all, a total of 34 contacts were swabbed.
Although the patient was not found to be suffering from diphtheria,
this incident is a reminder that the danger of diphtheria
still exists and immunity of the population depends largely upon
immunisation in childhood.
Food Poisoning
Investigations were made in 178 notified or otherwise reported
cases during the year. One hundred and fifty of these were deemed
to be not food poisoning after laboratory examination of faeces
specimens taken from those affected. Of the remaining notifications
21 were single unrelated cases, while there were four minor outbreaks
involving two or more persons, making a total of 28 confirmed
cases.