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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Notifications of infectious diseases forthe years 1950-1959 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
1959 are given in table V.6, page 24; and deaths from infectious disease are included in
table V.3, page 21.
Diarrhoea and enteritis—There were 19 deaths under the age of two years from diarrhoea
and enteritis, the same as in the previous year. This represents a rate of 0-34 per 1,000 live
births and shows a continuation of the low figures of recent years.
Diphtheria—Once again there was a rise in the number of notifications of diphtheria.
Mention was made in the report for 1958 of a carrier outbreak in Finsbury. In June, 1959 a
positive throat swab was reported in a child attending one of the schools involved the
previous year. In the next few weeks 60 children in this school were found to have positive
swabs. Most of these were carriers, but in view of the extremely mild nature of the symptoms
in those presenting them, any clear differentiation between cases and carriers was
impossible. Shortly afterwards eight carriers were discovered in a neighbouring school and
later positive swabs were reported in children in other schools. Altogether 106 swabpositive
schoolchildren were discovered in ten schools in this neighbourhood during the
year, and a number of positive swabs were also found in home contacts of these cases.
In November, 1959 an episode occurred in Camberwell having many similarities to that
in Finsbury. There were six cases with symptoms, all mild, and 76 symptomless positives,
mostly discovered in the school contacts in two schools and in home contacts of known
positives.
The policy adopted in dealing with these incidents was elimination (rather than control)
of the infection. Widespread and repeated swabbing of all contacts in school and home was
carried out, and all infected persons were admitted to hospital. At the same time steps were
taken to bring immunisation up to date in all contacts in school or home.
Dysentery—There was a decline in the incidence of dysentery from 4,502 in 1958 to
3,571 in 1959. Once again more cases occurred in pre-schoolchildren than in schoolchildren.
This year there was an increase in the proportion of cases in those over 15 years
of age.
Enteric fever—There was a rise to 84 in the number of notifications of enteric fever. Part
of this rise was explained by an outbreak in Southwark of 15 cases of paratyphoid arising
from the consumption of infected cream-filled confectionery. Apart from this limited group,
all reported cases were single sporadic events.
Influenza—There was a considerable outbreak of influenza during the month of February,
1959. The epidemic, therefore, occurred at the customary season, and the seasonal incidence
of the disease appears to have resumed its usual rhythm after the unique autumn epidemic
of 1957. It is difficult to estimate how the incidence of influenza in 1959 compares with that
in previous epidemics. Judged by mortality, however, the 1959 epidemic ranks as one of the
most severe of recent years, there being 580 deaths from influenza. In the last 20 years
there have been only three other years in which there were more than 500 deaths from
influenza; these were 1943, 1951 and 1953 when there were 726, 809 and 514 deaths respectively.
Leptospirosis—For the third successive year there were no reported cases of leptospirosis
among the Council's sewer workers.
Measles—The beginning of the year saw the main part of the biennial measles epidemic
which came to its peak in the week ending 21 February. The epidemic was rather smaller
than the two preceding epidemics. The disease continues to be generally mild and there is
no sign of return to its former virulence.
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