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of Roxbourne School. There were 11 cases in the two departments of
Stag Lane School spread over the Summer term; and six over four weeks
amongst those at Welldon Park School. There were further cases at this
school in the last term, including three cases in one week. A number
of cases occurred in this term at the Roxeth Manor School, particularly
in the Infants' Department. In spite of these suggestive groupings, there
was no occasion on which any child suspected to be a spreader of infection
was found attending school.
SMALLPOX
None of the introductions of smallpox into this country in 1952
concerned this district, though a number of visits were paid to those who
came here from infected areas.
The practice up to this has been that when a ship on which there is
a person suffering from smallpox lands at a port in this country, particulars
of all passengers and crew are taken and the health authorities
of the districts to which these persons are proceeding are advised. The
same procedure was adopted in regard to those who arrive in this country
by air. The 1950 Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations have now been
amended and a different procedure has been in force from 1st October.
This is to enable this country to comply with the provisions of the International
Sanitary Regulations adopted by the Fourth World Health
Assembly in May, 1951, by which countries accepting these provisions
will no longer require a personal declaration of origin and health from
passengers arriving by air. There is therefore now no record of the
address in this country to which passengers arriving by air from abroad
have proceeded. If therefore such person shortly after arrival is found
or is suspected to be suffering from a dangerous infectious disease such
as smallpox, it might be difficult for the medical officer of health to trace
contacts who were on the same aircraft. In such circumstances then, he
will now get into touch with the Ministry who will, if necessary, arrange
for a message to be put out by the B.BC. and through the Press, requesting
any person who travelled on the aircraft to report immediately to his
doctor or to the Medical Officer of Health of the area in which he is.
So many parents took advantage of the means by which they could
avoid having their children vaccinated although the law called for the
vaccination of all children, that in the years just before the war, only
about one-third were done. With the removal by the National Health
Service Act of even what compulsory element there was up to then, there
has been a further falling off in the proportion of young children vaccinated.
The present arrangements are that children are treated by the
family doctors. Encouragement for this to be done is given by the
doctors themselves and by the health visitors, clinic doctors, and other
members of the local health authority staff. In this district last year
1,385 persons were vaccinated for the first time, but only 883 were under
one year of age, and only 162 were under two years of age. 530 were re-