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Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis.
Two cases were notified during the year,both girls,
aged years and 12 years respectively. In both cases
there was some paralysis, in the younger child the right
arm being affected, and in the other a foot. There were
a number of contacts of cases occurring in other areas.
These contacts were visited and kept under surveillance
throughout the incubation period. The supervision of
contacts is a necessary safeguard, but every care is taken
to avoid creating any sense of alarm or anxiety among
members of the families affected' or the general public.
Dysentery.
Ten of the thirteen cases notified occurred in
the Friern Hospital, and were caused by organisms of the
Flexner group of dysentery bacillus. The three cases in
the District were Sonne dysentery. In one instance, a
child aged 2 years, the mother was admitted to hospital
with an internal complaint. Specimens of faeces taken
from the four children in the family were positive in the
case of this child. This "carrier" condition persisted
for some six weeks.
In the other instance a boy aged 8 years was
discharged from hospital wherein an outbreak of dysentery
had occurred. Soecimens of faeces obtained from the boy
and his sister were both positive.
Diphtheria.
There have been no cases of diphtheria in Friern
Barnet for five years. During the year, 403 children
were immunised against diphtheria or diphtheria and pertussis
(whooping cough) combined, under the scheme arranged by the
Middlesex County Council, 284 at the local clinics and 119
by their family doctor. A further 664 children, between
the ages of 5 and 15 years, were given a re-inforcing injection.
Tuberculosis.
Thirty-eight cases of tuberculosis (33 pulmonary and
5 non-pulmonary) were notified during the year, as against
thirty-three during 1952. In addition, eighteen persons,
who had previously been notified as suffering from tuberculosis
whilst living in other areas, took up residence in the
District during the year. The total number of cases
added to the Register was fifty-six, fourteen more than in
the previous year.
The distribution of the new cases amongst the
various wards was as follows:
North. South. Central. East. West. Friern Hospital.
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