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38
Place of Treatment.
All but two patients were admitted to hospital, most to the
South Harrow Isolation Hospital, but nine to the hospitals of other
authorities. Of those removed elsewhere one was not admitted to
the local hospital because he was suffering as well from measles.
The other eight cases had to be refused admission locally because
there was no accommodation at the time for them.
Deaths.
Three deaths were recorded as due to diphtheria.
Immunization.
During the year T.A.M. as the antigen was largely replaced by
A.P.T., the change being practically complete towards the end of
the year owing to the difficulties experienced in obtaining as an
antigen anything else but A.P.T. 705 cards of children immunized
were received during the year. The practice was more prevalent
in the last quarter but the increased numbers who came forward
in the last weeks of the year following special propaganda are not
included in the 1940 figures as the second dose in the vast majority
of cases would not fall due until 1941. It was not possible to carry
out Schick-testing on any children during the year. As it was felt
that the mothers of some infants brought to the infant welfare
centres might agree to their children being immunized if the
facilities were available then and there, in the latter part of the
year approval was given to the necessary arrangements being
made.
Provision of Antitoxin.
44 lots were issued, totalling 392,000 units.
Schools and Diphtheria.
Apart from the occurrence of two cases in the same department
with onsets in the same week on one occasion, and two cases in
consecutive weeks on three occasions, the only grouping in relation
to schools was that in which the onset of illness of three members
of the same family attending a school in one week was followed
the next week by two cases in the class attended by one of these
children.
SCARLET FEVER.
Incidence.
217 cases were notified during the year, of which, however,
10 were errors of diagnosis, the illness in most of these being
German measles or measles, though two were tonsillitis and one
a septic rash. 207 cases is an incidence of 1.08 per thousand
population, a figure even lighter than that of 1.60 for the previous
year which was, in itself, the lowest incidence in the previous six
years, the rate per thousand population for the years 1934 to 1938
being 4.70, 3.47, 2.64, 2.31 and 2.72.