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40
INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
General
Following the now familiar pattern of alternating epidemic
"measles years", it was not surprising after the low incidence of
this infection, in 1964, to find that measles accounted for no fewer
than 5,119 of the total of 5,563 notifications of infectious disease
received during 1965. As has been the case in other recent years,
the illness remained on the whole mild in character and no deaths
from this cause occurred. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the time is
not far distant when, with the development of effective and
reliable measles vaccines, it will be possible to make this biennial
burden of acute childhood illness a thing of the past.
Apart from measles, the number of other notifications
received was very small in relation to the population of the area
and in this respect the new Borough may be said to have made
a decidedly encouraging start. Whether this early promise is
maintained, depends a great deal on the continued co-operation of
parents, and on the unremitting efforts of those concerned with
health education; both are essential in maintaining the levels of
immunisation which have made it possible to record that no cases
of poliomyelitis, diphtheria or smallpox, and only 26 cases of
whooping cough, were reported in the Borough during 1965.
Personally, I am confident that this good record can be maintained.
Statistical details of the various infectious diseases are given
below under separate headings and unless otherwise stated, no
deaths from these infections occurred.
Poliomyelitis
No cases of this disease were notified during the year.
Diphtheria
No cases were notified during the year.
Erysipelas
Fourteen cases were notified during the year.
Dysentery
28 cases were notified, all of them being of the mild sonnei
type. These were all isolated cases and the infection did not occur
in epidemic form. Full investigations were carried out in each
instance.
Food Poisoning
17 cases were notified during the year. All these proved to be
of the salmonella type and in the majority of incidents affected
single families or individuals. One institutional outbreak occurred
but it was considered that the infection in this case was not food
borne.