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provided. The response to the offer of vaccination against poliomyelitis
among the 15 - 26 age group was not so high, although
here again our preliminary survey tends to show that the rate was
and still is considerably higher than that reported from the
country as a whole.
We all know that the policy of vaccination against poliomyelisit
has been altered from time to time and that it has not
yet been entirely stabilised Many people feel for instance that
a fourth inoculation will be required before full protection can
be guaranteed It is certainly known that the third injection is
vital that without this third injection given following a mini
mum of seven months after the second injection no one is fully
protected In view of the changing picture I intend to keep the
Public Health Committee fully informed of variations in policy
and progress made
Wood Green co-operated with the Central Public Health Labor
atory at Colindale in collecting and sending for examination every
week the stools of selected infants This was part of an extensive
enquiry into the possible existence of carriers of the poliomyelitis
virus No virus was discovered among all the specimens sent for
examination
Measles
As noted elsewhere 421 cases of measles were notified during
the year as against 876 in 1957 As I have mentioned in earlier
reports measles epidemics fall fairly consistently into a twoyear
cycle Although 1958 was not in the two year cycle, measles
figures were comparatively high In 1957. which was "a measles
year" the epidemic occurred very early in the year so that when
in the last quarter of 1958 the figures started to soar rapidly
we had once again almost completed the two-year cycle
The outbreak which occurred in the early part of 1957 gave
us the highest figures for Wood Green since measles became a noti
fiable disease in 1940 It was therefore not surprising that the
subsequent outbreak at the end of 1958 was of a more confined
nature and that by the end of 1958 it had practically subsided
Measles like so many of the other so called children's
complaints has lost much of its virulence Indeed there has not
been a death in this Borough from measles since 1947 Of the total
421 cases that occurred this year, only eight were removed to
hospital Such removal is generally made for purely social reasons
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
Forty cases of whooping cough were notified during the year
as against 95 in 1957
The policy of offering immunisation against pertussis to the
mothers of young children both through their family doctor and the
welfare clinics is still being maintained These injections are
given quite apart from the immunisation against diphtheria. This
disease is most serious during the first six months of life and
in consequence the immunisation programme is projected towards
protecting all children as soon after birth as is practicable
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