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It is impossible in a Report such as this to set
out in more than the very briefest detail, the
measures of safeguard which we have had to adopt or
to prepare, in order to meet future emergencies.
It will be sufficient to state that we have prepared
a scheme to deal with possible pollution of water
supplies on a vast scale, and that we have carried
out - and are still carrying out - immunisation
against one of the most serious war-time diseases,
typhoid infection.
The remaining activities of the Public Health
Department in relation to war-time background,
belong rather to Civil Defence, and have been set out
in Committee and other Reports from time to time.
TJhilo we have much upon which to congratulate
ourselves, it would be 'suicidal to believe that we
have seen the worst of our difficulties.No one
can expect conditions to improve, while a worsening
is highly probable. At any time, diseases such as
cerebro-spinal meningitis and acute poliomyelitis
may descend upon us. Such occurrences need not be
catastrophic, so long as we are prepared to meet
them, and so long as we have the necessary machinery
to hand. Already one disease, scabies, has. .changed
from a minor to a major problem, and there is no
reason to believe that others may not follow that
undesirable course. It is in many ways unfortunate
that the Staff of the Public Health Department, as
is the case with all other Local Government
Departments, has had so many additional duties thrust
upon it, at a time when all our energies'may have
to be devoted to essential work- of a purely Public
Health nature. Y/e have accepted this responsibility
willingly, and have no complaint to make, nevertheless,
I feel that a word of warning must be issued.
Public Health is still, and always will be, a factor
of supreme importance, during war as well as peace.
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