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64
being attacked during the epidemic and from those who contract
the disease more than once—an uncommon occurrence in the
case of measles.
The vast majority of cases occurring during 1950 were mild
in character and it does seem that, providing there is good home
hygiene and that very young children are not infected, most of
the terrors of this illness have been overcome.
WHOOPING COUGH.
One hundred and thirteen cases were notified during 1950,
as against one hundred and ninety-nine for 1949, giving an attack
rate of 1.75 per 1,000 population. Two of these cases were
admitted to hospital, and there were no deaths.
There was a fall in the incidence of this disease compared
with the previous year, but it would be incorrect to draw any
conclusions from the number of notifications of an illness which
has always shown inconsistent variations. It is, however,
pleasant to be able to record that like measles and scarlet fever,
this disease appears to be of a mild type, generally speaking, at
the present time, and what has been said about measles with
reference to hygiene and avoidance of the disease in very early
life, applies very much in this case also.
Immunisation against Whooping Cough is still unfortunately
in the experimental stage, and there is no statistical evidence
to prove its efficacy, but one is constantly coming across individuals
who are of the opinion that it saved their own children
either from having the disease at all or at very least modified
the attack considerably. Such " evidence " is of course inadmissible
and as yet immunisation against whooping cough on
large scale cannot be advocated.