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15
Ophthalmia neonatorum—There was an increase in the number of notifications from 89
in 1960 to 100 in 1961, the rate (per 1,000 registered live births) changing from 1.36 to 1.46.
Cases among children born to London residents totalled 70, a fall of three compared with
the previous year; in 61 vision was unimpaired, five removed and four were still under
treatment at the end of the year.
Poliomyelitis—There was a considerable reduction in the number of notifications of
poliomyelitis in 1961.
Once again a marked feature of the epidemiological picture was the high proportion
of cases found in the age group 0.4 years. This was 50.0 per cent, of all cases.

It will be seen from table (xii) that a high proportion of cases in the 0.4 years age group
has been recorded previously in 1949, 1959 and 1960. Cases were spread throughout the
age group. The higher rate of incidence in the under-fives does not appear to be related
to any difference between vaccination rates in this age group and the over-fives. The reason
for the high proportion of cases in young children remains uncertain.
As a result of scrutiny of the clinical and virological findings, a final diagnosis was made
in respect of each notification. The diagnosis of paralytic poliomyelitis was made on clinical
grounds, although virological confirmation was present in the majority of cases. A diagnosis
of non-paralytic poliomyelitis was made only in cases in which poliomyelitis virus was
present on the stool, or when serological evidence supported the diagnosis. Table (xiii) gives
an analysis of the original notifications according to the final diagnosis.