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THE HEALTH OF BARKING
disease although they were far from being convinced of the value of immunisation
in preventing it. Now something like the reverse is true, the local public are on
the whole well convinced of the powers of immunisation but are less alive to the
dangers of the disease.
Out of a population of 18,970 children, under the age of 15 years, in the
Borough, 12,563 or 66.3% had been immunised at the end of 1947.
SCARLET FEVER.
This is a disease which for reasons unknown, if not unguessed at, varies
periodically in its severity. Young adults today think of it as mild, their parents
as severe and their grandparents as mild again. Although mild in its manifestation
today the position must be watched because it may once more become severe.
The sulpha-group of drugs and penicillin are particularly suited to the treatment
of this disease.
WHOOPING COUGH.
This disease is peculiar in being particularly common in infants and, of course,
it can be deadly. Thus it should be noted that in Barking, although its incidence
is less than that of measles, it nevertheless killed four times as many children as
measles in 1947.
Although its value is not yet fully established, protective immunisation against
whooping cough is carried out in Barking. These inoculations have given a little
trouble but careful attention to the required technique has eliminated most reactions.
There were 203 cases notified during the year but the natural fluctuations in
the incidence of the disease from year to year are such that the small decline over
the figure for last year when there were 243 cases cannot be ascribed with confidence
to immunisation.
MEASLES.
In Day Nurseries from time to time outbreaks of measles occur and it would
be of the greatest help, both administratively and having regard to the welfare ot
the children, if passive protection could be carried out. Such protection is simple
and safe to give but it is virtually impossible to obtain the necessary material.
It is to be hoped that supplies of serum for the temporary protection of children
against measles, since permanent protection is not yet possible for technical reasons,
should be made available on a much wider scale than is the case at the present time.
Measles is unfortunately a condition where the maximum infectivity is in the
short period between the onset of cold-like symptoms and the blossoming forth ot
the full rash. Any technique allowing us to make a diagnosis in this short but
dangerous period would be most welcome since it might then be possible to isolate
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