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8
PREVALENCE
1,612 cases of Infectious Disease were notified in
the Borough during the year* Of these 23 were proved not
to have suffered from the disease for which they were
originally notified reducing the corrected number of cases
of Infectious Disease during the year to 1589
This substantial decrease in the number of notifica
tions was to be expected and is in complete accordance
with the pattern of measles which does show invariably a
biennial decrease
CERTIFICATION
When contacts of infectious persons are excluded from
work on account of potential risk to others a certif icate
is provided to ensure the payment of benefits under the
National Insurance Act,
DISINFECTION
Books which have been handled by infectious persons
are stored in a formalin box for three weeks before being
returned to a library..
DIPHTHERIA
No cases were notified in 1956
The total number of primary immunisations given at
clinics and by General Practitioners was 2,0 29 and the
number of booster doses was 2,636, As the number of live
births for the year was 2,513 it can be calculated that
the proportion of children in the first year of life who
received primary immunisation was 80% It will be remem
bered that to obtain a satisfactory state of immunity 70%
to 75% of children in the first year of life should be
immunised Our percentage for the year therefore is satis
factory,
Although this figure is within satisfactory limits
there should be no easing off in immunisation because it
is the experience all over the country that as cases of
Diphtheria become fewer and fewer so in the minds of
parents there is a tendency to regard the need for immunisation
as less and less urgent and so a diminishing number
of children each year is presented at the clinic for this
purpose. It should not be forgotten that the dramatic
fall in the number of Diphtheria cases is due mainly to
immunisation against the disease and if the level of