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Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
Eighty-nine cases of pertussis occurred during 1952, as against
127 in 1951. As the Council will doubtless be aware, immunisation
against pertussis is available in Wood Green, at County Council
clinics. In addition, the vast majority of mothers accepting
immunisation against diphtheria prefer the combined type of safeguard,
which protects against diphtheria and pertussis at the same
time. It would not be safe to infer that immunisation against
pertussis in Wood Green has yet had any appreciable effect on
the incidence of this disease within the Borough. Unless and
until immunisation against pertussis is generally accepted by the
bulk of the population both in Wood Green and elsewhere, we
cannot expect results comparable to those which have been such
a feature in the history of diphtheria.
I am none the less satisfied that this is the end towards which
we should work, as there does not appear to be any valid reason
why the incidence of pertussis should not be affected in the same
way as has been the case with diphtheria. When we remember
that pertussis is now perhaps the most serious of all diseases in
infancy, an active policy of immunisation is to be recommended.
Food Poisoning and Dysentery
Nine cases of food poisoning were notified during 1952, as
against 15 cases in 1951. Of the nine cases notified, the cause was
identified as duck egg in one instance. In another case, duck egg
was thought to be responsible, although confirmation was not
obtainable. In three other cases, the results of bacteriological
examination were completely negative. No investigations were
possible in the remaining four cases, as the period between the
occurrence of the disease and its notification was too lengthy.
Twelve cases of sonne dysentery were notified during the year,
as compared with 27 in 1951.
It must always be remembered that many cases of food
poisoning are extremely mild, while sonne dysentery, especially in
children, is an illness which seldom lasts for more than several days.
For those reasons, it would appear virtually certain that many cases
are never seen by a doctor, and are never notified. Even allowing
for this, the incidence of food poisoning and dysentery within
the Borough gave no reason for alarm during 1952. Apart from
the fact that the total of individual cases was extremely low, there
was no evidence of even the most limited outbreak.
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