View report page

WHOOPING COUGH
Eleven cases of whooping cough were notified compared with
two in 1962 and 30 in 1961. None was admitted to hospital.
These comparitively low figures continue the low incidence of
this disease since 1956, indicating the value of immunisation and
the importance of immunising all young children. The number of
children immunised against this disease was 986 and 217 were
given reinforcing injections.
DYSENTERY
Twenty-one cases of dysentery of the mild Sonne type occurred,
the majority among patients in a mental hospital.
FOOD POISONING
Only one case of food poisoning occurred during the year.
The organism responsible was Salmonella Dublin.
ACUTE POLIOMYELITIS
I am pleased to report that no case of poliomyelitis occurred
in the District during 1963. The credit for this must go to the Salk
vaccine, given by injection. This vaccine, however, has one fault;
it does not prevent the carrier state. The Sabin oral vaccine was
introduced in February 1962 and has replaced the Salk vaccine.
It has the great advantage that it does prevent the carrier state and
is being given as a booster dose to children who have previously
had the Salk vaccine.
Since the inception of the Scheme in 1957, 47,835 persons in
the South-Eastern Division of Surrey have been vaccinated against
poliomyelitis.
PARATYPHOID FEVER
No case of paratyphoid fever occurred in the District but a
lady resident of Coulsdon and Purley contracted paratyphoid B
fever while an in patient in Croydon General Hospital and was
transferred to Waddon Hospital where she subsequently died.
Another lady resident of this District was sent home from
Croydon General Hospital when the first case occurred and she
was found to be excreting the organism of paratyphoid B although
free from symptoms. She was admitted to Wandle Valley Hospital
and after treatment became free from infection.
13