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In no instances could any connection be established between
individual cases.
Child contacts of school age were excluded from school, and in
the case of adult contacts, a decision was made according to the
particular circumstances involved, in general those excluded from their
employment being food-handlers and persons working among young
children. This decision is often a difficult one to make, particularly
as there is frequently a considerable delay before the diagnosis of
poliomyelitis can be definitely confirmed in the non-paralytic cases.
Diphtheria.
For the sixth year in succession, no case of diphtheria was notified
in the Urban District, and the continued very low incidence of this
disease in the country as a whole, is one of the major triumphs of
preventive medicine.
The present position with regard to immunisation against this
disease is summarised in the following figures which have been supplied
by the County Medical Officer.
Of the children resident in the area who were born since 1941, a
total of 924 received primary inoculations and 1,007 received reinforcing
inoculations during 1955.
A total of 11,138 children under the age of 15 years have completed
a course of immunisation at some time prior to 31st December,
1955.
Dysentery.
This has now become an endemic disease, and 42 cases were notified
during the year. Although these were generally very mild in
character, three of the cases required admission to hospital. There
were no deaths recorded in the area.
The mild nature of the disease is such that in many instances the
symptoms are very slight, or indeed absent altogether, and these cases
consequently never come to the notice of a medical practitioner. As
these unrecognised cases are fully capable of disseminating the infection,
control of the disease is made extremely difficult.
Food Poisoning.
Six single cases were notified during the year. In three cases it
was possible to identify the agent as being Salmonella organisms, but
the cause of the remaining three cases was unknown. There were no
deaths.