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It becomes obvious at once that there is considerable variation from year
to year in the proportion of paralytic to non paralytic cases In 1955 only 16
out of the 40 cases were paralytic The incidence of paralysis and its nature
and site vary from time to time and from epidemic to epidemic 1955 showed a
large proportion of non paralytic cases both in St Pancras and elsewhere On
the other hand, some few years ago the city of Copenhagen suffered from an
epidemic of poliomyelitis which not only showed a large proportion of paralytic
cases, but was the more serious in that those parts of the central nervous
system associated with breathing were frequently affected.
As the Council will know in America Canada and elsewhere attempts were
made during 1955 to immunise children against poliomyelitis by means of akilled
vaccine, and these attempts met with very considerable success It has been
estimated that in some towns the incidence of poliomyelitis in vaccinated
children has been reduced to one fifth of that which otherwise might have
occurred In this country we are commencing immunisation during the months of
May and June 1956 We are using a vaccine which we have every reason to believe
will be safe and efficacious The last word however has not been said in
preventing poliomyelitis by means of a killed vaccine Trials are still being
carried out to obtain immunisation by means of a live but attenuated vaccine
which can be taken by mouth
This still does not answer the question as to why some persons infected
with poliomyelitis become paralysed whilst others shake the disease off as if
it were no more than a cold in the head or an abdominal upset with perhaps a
little muscle stiffness. What are those factors which cause paralysis in someor,
alternatively why is it that some persons avoid this complication? I hope
that research on these lines will be carried out for the issue is wider than
that of poliomyelitis It concerns many other diseases which are complicated by
paralysis or loss of power of muscles
During the course of the year an outbreak of infectious disease affected a
group of hospitals in the Borough and in conjunction with the staff of the
hospital, every attempt was made to investigate the disease and to discover any
possible cause In due course a full report on this outbreak will be published
in the medical journals, and I think it would be unwise if at this stage I did
more than to refer to it, I think,, however I should inform the Council of the
large amount of work that was involved by the staff of the hospital and the
Public Health Department There could not have been closer or happier co-operation
and I should like to express my gratitude to those concerned.
The disease was to some extent confined to nursing staff It was associated
with giddiness loss of muscle power and general malaise and there was a
tendency for relapse to occur With few exceptions there has been recovery, and
I am hopeful for the future of even those exceptions Once again I would assure
the Council that in conjunction with the staff of the hospital both professional
technical and lay I was able to carry out exhaustive investigations into the
environmental conditions of those who contracted the disease
IV