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the infection on to other children, available evidence would seem
to show that our present programme of immunisation, coupled with
health education, is correct, and that it should be vigorously
pursued.
Food Poisoning (including Sonne Dysentery).
Eleven cases of food poisoning and fifty-two cases of dysentery
were reported in 1954, as against totals of 14 and 94 respectively
during the previous year. I must again point out that these cases
represent notifications, and do not fully indicate the incidence either
of food poisoning or of dysentery within the Borough. None the
less they are extremely useful for comparative purposes, as it can
presumably be accepted that the factors which militate against the
complete notification of food poisoning and dysentery do not
materially alter from year to year.
It will be remembered that, in my Annual Report for 1953,
I suggested that we might put into operation a modified procedure
designed to discover the presence of "carriers", without throwing
an unnecessary burden on the Sanitary Inspectors and, what is
more important, without causing undue absences from schools.
This procedure was, in fact, introduced during 1953 and is working
very well. Broadly speaking, the system depends on the exclusion
from school for one week of all children who have had diarrhoea or
sickness, in any school where the incidence of diarrhoea and sickness
has been clearly shown to be above the average. This procedure
might mean, of course, that children are occasionally excluded
for transient reasons which have no epidemiological significance.
On the other hand, it has already been shown that the system has
reduced the absence from school of "carriers" of Sonne dysentery
or food poisoning organisms, and causes much less upset in a family
than did our previous procedure. We have prepared special letters
which are available to all Head Teachers, and which are used by
Head Teachers as and when the occasion warrants such action being
taken. As always, our Head Teachers have been most co-operative,
and seem to appreciate the reason for the change. "Carriers" of
food poisoning or Sonne dysentery organisms who are food handlers
are still excluded in the usual way, until the requisite number
of negative specimens has been obtained.
Altogether this has been an extremely quiet year so far as
food poisoning and dysentery are concerned. No outbreaks of food
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