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Only one case was removed to hospital, the remainder being home
nursed.
No deaths were recorded in the area from this disease.
What has been said of scarlet fever with regard to its severity
might well be repeated in the case of measles, but there the similarity
ends. In the case of measles we still get large outbreaks occurring
usually in alternate years, that is to say when a large number of nonimmune
children are congregated at school. In other words, in the
year following an epidemic, there are normally too few susceptibles
left in the schools to allow of an outbreak, in view of the fact that
one attack of measles usually confers a life long immunity.
Whooping Cough.
Three hundred and sixteen notifications of this disease were
received. Seven cases were admitted to hospital and the remainder
home nursed. This figure also showed a slight decrease on the 352
cases notified during 1953.
No deaths from this disease occurred in the area
In this instance also, we seem to be facing a problem of diminishing
severity, although in this case it may well be that improved
methods of treatment are largely responsible, but here again the
improved stamina of the children may well be a likely factor in the
severity of the disease. The value of immunisation against this illness
is still a controversial point, and although many doctors and parents
are convinced of its efficacy at least in mitigating the effects of the
disease, it has not yet received universal approval.
Food Poisoning.
Thirteen single cases were notified during the year. In two cases
only was it possible to identify the agent, i.e., Salmonella Typhimurium.
A great deal of publicity is being given to-day to the ravages of
food poisoning, and there is little doubt that most sections of the
community are very much alive to its dangers. Unfortunately, it is
one of those conditions where the human element enters in to a great
extent and some minor deviation from the best practice of food
hygiene can have disastrous consequences to a large number of
people. It is on account of this fact that our efforts to teach food
handlers, and they represent almost the whole population, to handle
food cleanly must be unending, for it is only by constant reminders
that we can hope to maintain or improve the standard. As far as this
area is concerned, with only thirteen cases confirmed during the whole
of 1954, we cannot complain, but it is as well to remember that there