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SECTION F
INFECTIOUS DISEASES CONTROL
Tables at the end of this report show that 8,238 persons were
immunised against Poliomyelitis, 1,793 persons were immunised against
Diphtheria, 980 persons were immunised against Whooping Cough
and 810 persons were vaccinated against Smallpox.
One case of non-paralytic poliomyelitis was notified. This was
a boy of five years who was notified on the completion of investigations
in hospital. He had not been inoculated against poliomyelitis but
made an uneventful recovery.
There were 785 fewer cases of measles and two fewer cases of
scarlet fever. The rise and fall of epidemic prevalence of measles
contrasts with the constantly elevated figure each year for scarlet
fever. Both measles and scarlet fever were milder this year. No
cases of measles were admitted to hospital compared with three cases
in 1959. Three cases of scarlet fever were admitted to hospital compared
with seven cases last year.
As the infectivity of measles or whooping cough is greatly reduced
once the rash has manifested itself, or the whoop has developed,
whereas the infectivity of scarlet fever continues after the rash has
appeared, it is customary for no visit by inspectors to be made to
measles or whooping cough households, whereas visits are made to
scarlet fever households and households containing other notified
infectious diseases.
Further investigations in cases of scarlet fever showed that in
5 out of 63 families 2 children had scarlet fever. Family contacts of
scarlet fever cases were found in seven instances to be handling fresh
food in catering establishments and were advised temporarily to
discontinue this. Two family contacts were school teachers and the
appropriate authorities were notified. Defects in sanitary conditions
were found in three properties and these were remedied. Library
books were collected and disinfected from fifteen households and
returned to the library. It was found that the notifications of scarlet
fever were reasonably prompt and effective. The intervals between
the onsets of rash and the dates that notifications were received by the
Medical Officer of Health were as follows : one day or less 15; two
days 14; three days 14; four days 9; five days 5; six days 5; nine
days 1; ten days 1; 16 days 1; one, date not known but after return
home from hospital.
In 1960 there was again a high incidence of Sonne Dysentery.
School children aged 5-15 years provided the greatest number of
cases: 28 out of 61 cases notified. The largest number (21) of cases
occurred in March. Inspectors visited 46 families to complete enquiry
cards and to obtain specimens for pathological examination. The
notifications of dysentery came from a fairly circumscribed area of
the Borough. As was the case last year, two wards, the Lawrie Park
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