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In addition to the above, during the Autumn a number of
schools reported cases of diarrhoea and/or vomiting among the
children and staff, but these were probably not caused by infected
food. Similarly a number of cases experiencing gastro-intestinal
upsets was noted in the District as a whole still later in the year,
but no reports being received of any special organism being found,
both outbreaks were attributed to "epidemic vomiting".
POLIOMYELITIS.
This disease was more prevalent nationally during the year
than in 1951 and locally 8 notifications were received and the
diagnosis confirmed, but of these one adult case had developed
the disease while en route from Australia. By contrast a local
adult resident first became ill 14 days after she had gone to the
North of England in October and did not return until almost all
signs of her moderately severe attack had gone.
Of the other 7 local cases the first (a child) and the last (an
adult) died from polio-encephalitis, while another adult died from
poliomyelitis in September. Three of the remaining four cases
(three of whom were school children) had some paralysis but only
one of these was left with some incapacitating paralysis.
The above cases were distributed throughout the year, July
being the only month with two cases, and there appeared to be
no connection between them or the four suspected cases which
were sent into hospital during the year, three of whom were subsequently
diagnosed as suffering from "meningism", "influenza"
and "Haemophilus influenzal meningitis".
MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTIONS.
It was decided after a post mortem examination that one
school child who died suddenly in May had suffered from a
pneumonic condition and meningococcal meningitis.
Two other children who were admitted to hospital in June
and July, one being a suspected case of poliomyelitis, were said to
have suffered from "meningism".
ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS.
One adult was notified in November as suffering from acute
encephalitis but the final diagnosis after admission to hospital was
meningitis complicating glandular fever.
PNEUMONIA.
During the year 21 cases of acute primary or influenzal pneumonia
were notified compared with 51 in 1951. None of the cases
appeared to be interconnected.
At least 14 are known to have been treated in hospital, and of
these only one died of the disease. There were, however, 37 deaths
from all forms of pneumonia.
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