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49
EPIDEMIC DISEASES OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM.
Cerebro-spinal Fever.
Four notifications of cerebro-spinal fever were received,
the first was a child of two notified in January; the next
was an adult of 55 notified in May. In September a child of 18
months fell ill, the disease proving fatal. The remaining case was
one of a child of six months whose onset was in November.
Two of the cases were admitted to isolation hospitals and one
to a general hospital.
Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis.
Six cases of acute anterior poliomyelitis were notified during
the year. Two of these, both adults, fell ill in July, two (one
adult and one a child of 10) in September, and two (one adult and
a boy of 16) in December.
Four were admitted to isolation hospitals, the other two being
treated at home.
NON-NOTIFIABLE INFECTIONS.
Measles.
Measles was prevalent in the first six months of the year
when 1,316 intimations were received from head teachers that
children attending the public elementary schools were absent on
account of this ailment. During the rest of the year the district
was practically free. The 148 cases in January were mostly due
to the incidence in three schools (48, 48 and 32 cases). Five
departments had more than 20 cases in February, when altogether
220 notifications were received. There was a sharp rise to 428
cases in March, the month of heaviest incidence, when seven
departments had more than 20 cases each, one having 75 and
another 65 cases. In April and May 188 cases were notified each
month, two schools having 53 and 45 cases in April and one school
previously unaffected having 56 in May. In June only 143 cases
were notified, five schools having over 20 cases each, but the
greatest number in any one school being only 26.
In some schools the infection was limited to two months (one
school having 89 cases in the two months, another 95, and a third
91) whereas in others infection was present over longer periods
(172 cases over four months, 138 over four months, and 105 over
three months).
261 visits were paid by the health visitors to homes where
there were cases of measles, and 29 patients were removed to
isolation hospitals for treatment.
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