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12
For some years now it has been the practice to recommend
parents that if their young children have not had whooping cough,
the child be immunised by a suitable vaccine against the disease.
It is considered that immunity may last only a relatively
short time, but this time is, in our opinion, of sufficient length to
tide the young child over a period of months until such time as the
epidemic has abated or the child has been removed from the area
of infectivity.
There were 432 cases immunised against pertussis, and by
reference to the persons notified and the list of those known to be
immunised, only 6 were found to have contracted the disease.
There were 2 deaths of children under five from pertussis, one
was due to pertussis and bronchitis, and the other due to the strain
of coughing, for a blood vessel was ruptured in the brain. This
latter case shows the seriousness of the disease, and suggests that if
whooping cough could be prevented by inoculation, then in our
opinion, every endeavour should be made to further this principle,
for it is generally accepted by the medical profession that the
sequelae of both Measles and Whooping Cough give rise to more
subsequent ill-health and weaknesses than any other of the so-called
childish ailments.
There were 2 deaths due to Measles during the year. The procedure
of preventing measles by a serum has been used in hospital
but it is not yet a practical proposition for large numbers.
There were 11 cases of Meningitis during the year and 2 of this
number succumbed to the disease. During the year the treatment
of this type of case has been completely revolutionised by the use
of the sulphonalamide group cf drugs which have been employed so
successfully in the treatment of pneumonia.
There were 79 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and 10 of nonpulmonaiy,
notified during the year. Considerable publicity has
been given to this disease of recent months for statements have been
made that tuberculosis is on the increase. While this is true in
certain areas, figures for the year 1940 show that the number of cases
notified were 78 pulmonary and 10 non-pulmonary, a total of 88 as
compared with 89 for 1941.
Scabies still continues to be on the increase for there were 155
treated in 1941, as compared with 63 cases treated in 1940. The
Public Health Committee are giving this matter their consideration
and it is to be hoped that further facilities can be obtained for
treating these cases within the Borough.
I think that these figures shown in the Table and quoted in the
report of infectious disease on analysis are not adverse, having
regard to the fact that a certain sewer was out of action for a greater
part of the year, for there have been no large outbreaks of infectious
diseases of the enteric fever or dysentery type.