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Pertussis notifications rose from 16 to 72. This was in
some ways surprising, since the incidence of measles and pertussis
usually run together. Of the 72 cases of pertussis notified
during the year only 7 had been vaccinated. In this connection
it must be remembered that vaccination against pertussis does not
guarantee complete protection against the disease. What we hope
and what indeed we have found, is that, when a vaccinated child
develops pertussis, the illness is usually particularly mild.
The incidence of food poisoning and dysentery fell slightly
during the year from a combined total of 44 during 1959 to a total
of 37 during 1960. Sonne dysentery is now endemic in this country
and control measures must be rigidly applied. These include an
adequate provision of hot water, soap and towels in schools
this is a matter we are constantly taking up - the teaching of all
children to wash their hands after using the toilet and before
eating food, the supply of disinfectants to schools when the
incidence either of food poisoning or dysentery increases, and
the use of letters excluding children who have suffered or are
suffering from diarrhoea from school for one week, when more than
a few cases have been reported from that particular school. These
precautions are very necessary because although neither food
poisoning nor sonne dysentery can be said to be a particularly
dangerous illness in school children, we know only too well that
such diseases as poliomyelitis may be spread in precisely the same
way.
No cases of poliomyelitis were notified during 1960. Our
immunisation campaign against poliomyelitis has continued without
abatement. Our present figures show that more than 90% of Wood
Green children have been protected against poliomyelitis by
vaccination, a figure of which we are particularly proud.
There were 30 cases of tuberculosis notified during 1960 as
compared with 43 in 1959.