View report page

63
maximum in late February and early March with a weekly average of
180, the highest number of cases notified in any one week being 215.
In the first quarter, 1,671 notifications were received. The fall in the
next quarter was steady from a weekly average of nearly 100 in April
to one of 25 in June, there being 802 notifications in this period of three
months. For the rest of the year incidence was light, there being only
71 cases in the third quarter and only 4 in the last. In all, throughout
the year, 2,548 cases were notified.
In the main the disease was mild in character, there being only one
death. 19 patients were admitted to hospital.
Many schools were affected, especially during the Spring term, but in
only three of them, namely, Cannon Lane, Harrow Weald, and Roxbourne
were there more than 50 cases.
As the organism causing measles has not been cultivated, it has not
been possible to prepare a vaccine, or similar preparation against this
infection. A temporary artificial immunity can be acquired by the
injection of certain preparations obtained from the blood of those who
have at one time suffered from an attack and which therefore contains
anti-bodies. The immunity induced, though, is very short-lived, so
that there is no point in this preparation being given in ordinary circumstances.
Its use is reserved for those exposed to attack whom it is
especially necessary to protect against the risk of contracting infection
at that time.
WHOOPING COUGH
This district was never entirely free from this infection in 1950,
the cases being more common in the summer months with an average
weekly notification of 24. A fall in the autumn was followed by a sharp
rise in December. 772 cases were notified during the year. The rise in
the last weeks of 1950 was followed by a weekly incidence of 40 in January,
February, and March, of 1951, there being 521 cases in the first quarter.
Throughout the second quarter, the weekly average was only 10, in the
third 17, and in the last quarter only 2. In all there were 780 notifications.
Whooping cough caused the death of two baby girls of under the age
of 12 months. 4 sufferers were removed to isolation hospitals for
treatment.
While many schools had many pupils suffering from whooping
cough, none was especially heavily attacked.
Although it seems these days to be a much milder infection than
it was some years ago, whooping cough is still a disease of public health
significance. Not only is it a most unpleasant complaint to suffer from,
but it does result in some deaths, while too many of those who recover
suffer permanent damage. For many years much work has been done in
an attempt to make a preparation which would protect against the risk
of contracting infection. Many encouraging reports were published but
the position still remained in doubt. This was the state of affairs when