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be carried out earlier than seems at present to be the case. At
the same time, 1 addressed a memorandum to my Assistant
Medical Officers and Health Visitors, asking them to neglect
no opportunity to make the same points.
It will be appreciated that the work of immunisation is
carried out in Southgate by the County Council and by general
practitioners. 1 know, however, how interested the Southgate
Borough Council is in the work, and that I can count on full
support in this very vital effort."
Following a rise in the number of cases of poliomyelitis reported
from surrounding districts, we suspended the combined type
of immunisation against diphtheria and pertussis for several weeks
during August and September. Immunisation against diphtheria
alone continued during this period. In order that our policy should
be fully made known to general practitioners, I addressed a letter
to all practitioners in Southgate on August 5th, telling them what
was being done, and asking for their co-operation. In the same
letter, I took the opportunity of stressing the various safeguards
which we adopt at our County Council Clinics. It is very important
lhat our programme of immunisation should be properly correlated,
so that the family doctor and the clinic are not working along
different lines. In this connection. I should state that general
practitioners do accord us their full co-operation, not only in the
matter of immunisation, but in all the other fields of public health
in which we so often meet.
Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever notifications during 1953 showed a decline over
the figures for the previous year (133 as against 188). The remarks
which I made in last year's Annual Report regarding lack of
severity and the existing system of notification hold good.
As I previously indicated, the only valid reason which one can
see for maintaining our present vigilance is the fear that the prevailing
type of scarlet fever may change, and that the change may
be insidious. For those reasons we still regard scarlet fever as an
infectious disease which should be notified, and which calls for
medical attention and isolation, together with the exclusion of
contacts from school.
Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis
Four cases of acute anterior poliomyelitis were notified during
1953, three of which were paralytic. This figure is the same as that
recorded for 1952, when all four cases were paralytic.
Widespread investigation into the aetiology and mode of
spread of poliomyelitis is still being carried on, not only in this
country, but throughout the civilised world. Up to the present.
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