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after they had had their first doses and again one week after they had had
their second doses. Apart from some minor local reactions in a few,
none of these children appeared to have been affected by the inoculations.
A few of the other 700 children had general reactions, some with rises of
temperature; these might or might not have been the result of the inoculation
and in any event there were no lasting effects. It seems that throughout
the country there were no untoward reactions so that this first series
of inoculations suggests that at least the preparation is safe. As to its
efficacy it is too early to say. 1956 was a year of comparatively light
incidence of this infection so that any variation between the incidence
in those inoculated and those not treated would not have been as evident
as if it had been a year of high prevalence. What information is available
points to the incidence in the inoculated being quite appreciably less than
amongst those not treated, but it is not known whether the difference is
statistically significant.
At the end of November vaccine was issued for second doses to be
given to those children who earlier in the year had had their first doses.
Supplies issued in December were for the treatment of those who registered
earlier in the year, but who had not been selected for inoculation in May
and June. By the end of the year 724 children had received complete
treatment.
Several laboratories in America have been developing a method of
immunisation which depends on the oral administration of the living but
relatively avirulent virus. When variants of reduced virulence prepared
by adapting poliomyelitis virus to atypical hosts or by prolonged cultivation
in tissue culture are given to human beings by mouth, an alimentary
infection occurs which evokes a satisfactory production of antibodies.
MEASLES
This infection smouldered during the first quarter when in all only
27 cases were notified. It became more prevalent in the next quarter with
203 cases. The incidence in the next quarter was rather light with 128
cases. There was a sharp rise in October with 195 cases in that month,
hut this was followed by a rapid decline so that in the last quarter there
were only 247 cases. In all 610 were notified. The outbreak in October
was limited almost wholly to the Kenton area, 75 pupils at the infants
department at Glebe school being attacked in September and October
and 67 in Kenmore Park school.
The mildness of the illness is shown by the fact that only two
sufferers were admitted to hospital. No deaths were attributed to this
illness.
WHOOPING COUGH
Only 88 cases of whooping cough were notified this year. Although
The district was probably never wholly free from this infection, there
were 20 weeks in which no notifications were received. In only one weekw
were as many as ten cases notified. In the first quarter there were 29
cases, 18 in the second, 18 in the third and 24 in the last.
Only one child suffering from whooping cough was removed to
hospital and this infection caused no deaths.