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18
Infectious Diseases.
845 cases of notifiable disease occurred in the Borough, last
year's figures being 318. The increase is attributable to a Measles
epidemic, there being 519 cases of Measles. There were only 10
cases of Diphtheria, 25 cases of Whooping Cough, and 65 cases of
Scarlet Fever.
There were no deaths from Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever, Measles
or Whooping Cough in 1945. 48 cases of Pneumonia were notified
during the year, as against 65 in 1944.
Diphtheria Immunisation.
Immunisation was practised with unabated vigour throughout
the year. Advertisements were placed monthly in the local paper,
giving times and places for Inoculation Clinics, and posters were
displayed in prominent places. In addition, all our previous ways
of contacting parents were continued:
(1) A notice was sent to the parent of each notified birth when
the child attained the age of 6 months.
(2) All Infant Welfare attenders were approached.
(3) All children admitted to Day Nurseries were offered protection.
(4) Health Visitors combed their districts for children who did
not attend Welfares and urged their protection.
(5) Head Teachers gave forms of consent to new entrants.
(6) Prior to school medical inspection sessions, questionnaires
were sent to each parent asking, inter alia, whether the
child had been inoculated. If the answer were in the
negative, a form of consent was sent to the parent.
All immunised cases are followed up and, at the end of three
years, each child is offered a boost dose. After the age of 11 years,
this is preceded by a Schick test.
All children under 5 who have not had the disease, are
inoculated against Whooping Cough at the same time as they are
inoculated against Diphtheria, i.e., they have three doses of
protective material at monthly intervals. There were only 25
notified cases of Whooping Cough and 10 cases of Diphtheria in
1945, which is very little for a Borough with a population figure
for children under 14 of 10,610.