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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Notifications of infectious diseases for the years 1937-1957 are shown in table V.5,
page 23; those for certain such diseases by age and sex for the 13 four-weekly periods
of the year 1957 are given in table V.6, page 24 ; and deaths from infectious disease arc
included in table V.3, page 22.
Diarrhoea and
enteritis
There were 24 deaths under the age of two years from diarrhoea and enteritis
compared with 20 in the previous year. This represents a rate of 0.45 per 1,000 live births
and shows a continuation of the low figures of recent years.
Diphtheria
Only four notifications of diphtheria were confirmed in 1957, this being equal to
the lowest annual figure ever recorded. The single death from this cause was a woman
of 59 years who was taken ill while outside London, admitted to hospital on her return
to London four days later and died the following day.
Dysentery
The figure of 2,356 notifications of dysentery represented a considerable fall from
the record figure in 1956. This year there was a slight drop in the proportion of cases in
the 5-14 years age group. In 1957 the total in the 5-14 year age group was less than
in the under five group.
Enteric fever
Notifications of enteric fever totalled 47 compared with 73 in 1956. There were no
sizeable local outbreaks. However, during the year a group of 11 cases of paratyphoid
B fever occurring in various parts of London and the Home Counties, in Hampshire,
Devon and Staffordshire, were shown to have had their origin in a restaurant in central
London, when a member of the staff was found to be a carrier.
Influenza
The influenza epidemic of 1957 was marked by a number of unusual features.
It was caused by a strain of influenza virus A not previously encountered. Minor variations
in influenza A virus have occurred on a number of occasions in recent years, but the
new strain differed very markedly from any previous strains. It was found first in China
in the early part of the year and became known as the Asian strain. The discovery of
this new strain raised fears of a possible serious pandemic if the virus attacked a population
with no resistance to it. Blood tests showed that a certain number of persons over
70 years of age possessed antibodies to the virus, and the suggestion was made that the
pandemic of influenza in 1890 might have been due to an identical or similar virus.
The virus reached Europe in May or June but did not spread in epidemic form until
after the summer holidays. The subsequent epidemic, occurring at an unusual time of
the year, had a unique effect on the seasonal curve of mortality in 1957. In the event
the epidemic although very widespread and involving a large proportion of the population
was marked by a comparatively low case fatality rate.
The main epidemic centre of the disease in London appeared to be the schools.
Absenteeism in the day schools rose well above the customary level in the week ending
21 September, and reached its highest level two weeks later. In the week ending
5 October, it was estimated that 28 per cent. of children were absent from school.
Higher absence rates were found in the nursery schools and primary schools than in
secondary schools. The absence rate among teachers was considerably lower than that
for the children, but here again the highest rates occurred in nursery and primary school
teachers. After the week ending 5 October, the epidemic in the schools began to wane,
and the absence rate had returned to normal levels four weeks later.
The timing of the epidemic in the school differed somewhat from that in the adult
working population. New claims for sickness benefit at offices of the Ministry of National
Insurance in the County of London reached a level of twice the average figure in the
week in which school absence was at its highest, but did not reach their peak of about
four times the customary level until two weeks later, in the insurance week 9-15
October.
As regards the incidence of the disease among school children, although accurate
figures are not available it was estimated that some 50 per cent. of school children
suffered from influenza during the epidemic.
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