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and an adult woman from a non-paralytic attack. The last cases were
an adult female who in December succumbed to a non-paralytic attack,
and an adult male who had a paralytic attack. In all, then, of the 8
cases, two suffered from abortive attacks, two from non-paralytic attacks,
and four from paralytic attacks. Six of the 8 patients were females,
One of the patients was a baby of 11 months, one a boy of under 5.
one a girl between 5 and 10, two were girls between 15 and 20, and
three were adults.
In view of reports which suggested that recent operations on the
throat, or the removal of many teeth, or recent inoculations might have
some bearing on the onset of an attack, enquiries on these points are
made in each case. The only instance of any of these events preceding
an attack was in the case of the baby of 11 months, who fell ill on
November 1st and who had had on September 12th received an inoculation
against diphtheria in the left arm and on October 10th a similar inoculation
in the right arm; paralysis appeared in the right thigh on the 2nd
November. As at no time was there any marked prevalence of this
infection in the district, no steps were taken this year to discourage the
immunisation of children against diphtheria, or to defer operative treatment
of tonsils and adenoids.
The story of the progress of this infection in this country was not
very different in the early parts of 1951 from what it had been in 1950, the
outbreak of the preceding year diminishing in each case to a minimum
of much the same size in each year in March. As contrasted with 1950,
though, when the number of weekly notifications rose rapidly from the
beginning of June to as many as 589 in one week in August, in 1951 the
rise was very much smaller, the highest figure in this year being 134 in a
week in July from which time there was a decline until the end of September.
Prevalence was then a little higher for a while, but in the second
half of October the fall was resumed, though at a slower rate. This
slow rate of fall was in contrast to the rapid decline in the previous year.
Nevertheless, by the end of the year the weekly notifications were still
appreciably below those for the corresponding periods of the previous
year. Before the high incidence in 1947, poliomyelitis in this country
attained a marked prevalence only in the later summer months. That
there is some factor affecting incidence related to the atmospheric conditions
is further suggested by the fact that the first large scale invasion
of this country occurred in a summer of such special weather conditions.
That the wet conditions of last August and September might have had
some action in curtailing any further rise in the prevalence of this disease
may be some consolation to those whose enjoyment of their summer
holidays was somewhat marred by the weather conditions.
MEASLES
The district was never entirely free from measles in 1950 when in all
there were 1,005 cases. The curve of incidence in that year was symmetrical,
rising from a weekly average of one in January to nearly 60
in May and June, falling to two in November. In the last weeks of
December there was a sharp rise which was continued into 1951 to a