View report page

Doubtless in part this record is due to the increasing recognition
that measles is a notifiable disease, while it is probable
that the private doctors are more often consulted than they were
before 1948.
So far as is known, the disease was generally fairly mild in
type but at least 9 cases were admitted to hospital and one child
died as a result of a very unusual complication.
The very high total number of notifications received reinforces
the arguments previously expressed regarding the doubtful value
of notification of this disease in a District such as this. The
inevitable delay which occurs before notifications are received
and the large numbers occurring simultaneously, very seriously
limit the possibility of useful advice being given to individual
families. In fact, only a very small proportion can be visited by
the Health Visitors and reliance has to be placed on the general
advice which is, of course, always broadcast during epidemic
periods. By contrast it is almost certain that a greater proportion
of cases are seen by their family doctors than ever before, and the
doctors could spare more time for advice, where required, if they
were saved the time taken in notifying normal cases; telephonic
communications to the Health Department when nursing or other
help is needed by the small minority would be much more valuable
and less costly.
WHOOPING COUGH.
Similar remarks apply to the notification of this disease but
are of much less importance, partly because the numbers concerned
are usually so much smaller and the cases are normally
more spread over the year, and partly because the results in well
recognised cases can be so much more serious, although the
interval between onset and notification is apt to be much longer.
In 1953 only 66 notifications were received compared with
196, 204, and 242 in the three previous years, and of these only
two cases are known to have been admitted to hospital and all
recovered. A note on immunisation against whooping cough is
included later in this Report, but it might be appropriate to
mention here how desirable it is to encourage the acceptance of
this form of preventive treatment as widely as possible and as
early in life as this can be arranged. Infection in partially or
completely immune older children is very difficult to recognise in
time to prevent them from being a source of danger to young
babies. The latter should, of course, in any case be kept away
from any person who is indisposed or showing any catarrhal
symptoms.
20