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65
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM
This is an infection of the eyes of an infant occurring within 21 days
of birth. At one time the condition was very serious and resulted in
blindness or marked impairment of vision of many. The practice of
instilling prophylactic preparations in the eyes of the newly born is
considered to have brought about the very satisfactory position of to-day.
It is now not uncommon for no notification to be received in the course
of a year. Last year, two cases were notified. One of the infants was
admitted to hospital for treatment. In both the condition cleared up
without any impairment of vision.
NON-NOTIFIABLE INFECTIONS
These infections are not notifiable and information about the prevalence
of most of them is obtained from the intimations received from
the head teachers about children absent from school as sufferers or as
contacts of such infections.
Chickenpox.
This infection was markedly prevalent in the Spring term, much less
so in the Summer term and attacked only a few schools and those only
lightly in the Autumn term. Three schools had over 100 cases, Priestmead
School being particularly heavily attacked in the Spring term. In
all, 1,184 intimations were received.
Mumps.
This infection, too, was much more common than in the previous
year, 569 intimations being received as against 268 in 1950. Although a
few schools were attacked in the Spring term and there was some infection
in the Autumn term, the condition was most prevalent in the Summer
term. Stag Lane School suffered most both in the Spring and in the
Summer terms.
German Measles.
19 intimations were received of the occurrence of German measles,
all of them being in respect of pupils at schools at which there were
at that time no cases of measles.
Influenza.
Influenza as such is not notifiable, though influenzal pneumonia
is. The number of notifications of this condition gives some indication
of the prevalence of the disease, as do the later returns of deaths from
influenza. Although the district escaped the heavy invasion to which
some districts in the northern part of the country were subject in the
early weeks of the year, it did not entirely escape and deaths from
influenza were recorded for every one of the first 11 weeks of the year,
the total number of deaths from this cause recorded in this period being
33. Throughout the rest of the year only an occasional death was
certified as being due to influenza, the total number being 40.