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19
PART 2
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
During the year, 2,190 cases of infectious disease were reported
compared with 1,487 in 1968, the variation being mainly due to
the anticipated biennial increase in the incidence of measles. The
number of confirmed cases of infectious disease was 2,013 and
these are shown in age groups and areas of incidence in Tables 1
and 2 which follow. A commentary on the notifications is given in
the following pages.
Vaccination and immunization against certain infectious diseases
is one of the personal health services available to certain groups
of people and a reference to this service appears in Part 4 of this
report.
Dysentery
Of 212 reported cases of dysentery or suspected dysentery, the
provisional diagnosis was eliminated in 92 cases after laboratory
investigation. Most of the 120 confirmed cases were single unrelated
cases. In the previous year 133 confirmed cases occurred.
Acute encephalitis
One post-infectious case following mumps was notified in 1969.
Food poisoning
One hundred and thirty-one notified or otherwise reported cases
were investigated during the year. Following laboratory examination
of faecal specimens from those affected, 85 were found
not to be food poisoning. Of the remaining 46 confirmed cases,
25 were single unrelated cases and 8 were minor family outbreaks
involving 21 persons.
Most of the cases were only slightly affected, the causative agents
being Salmonellae typhimurium (15), Stanley (2), panama (2),
indiana (1), enteriditis (13), virchow (4), infantis (3), montevideo
(1), isangi (1) and unidentified (4).
Infective jaundice
Fifty-four cases were notified during 1969, compared with 56 in
the second half of the previous year when this disease became
notifiable.