View report page

84
then of these infections which even in the early days of the century were
so damaging, has so declined that they no longer loom as public health
dangers. Instead, as the infection which receives most publicity and
perhaps possibly for that reason is the most feared, is acute poliomyelitis,
an infection which occurred on a national scale for the first time as
recently as 1947. Influenza is always in mind because so little can be done
to limit its spread and its attack rate may be so high, causing disruption
to the life of the community, even when its fatality rate is not high.
Smallpox too is an ever present fear, even though the spread of the major
type can be so speedily controlled. Apart from such incidents then, the
infections do not occupy the same important position they used to, and it
may be that many of them are now being treated too lightly. This is
reflected in the growing laxity of general medical practitioners to notify
such diseases as scarlet fever. Today this is a very mild complaint;
nevertheless, it is not one to be ignored and people ought to be protected
against the risks of contracting it. There are no longer many restrictions
placed on the contacts of those suffering from various infections, but
some contacts even of an illness as mild as today's scarlet fever should be
excluded from certain occupations. The true incidence of food poisoning
and of dysentery is just not known; the actual number of notifications
is very short of the number of persons affected, and yet it is so very
necessary that all cases should be known, not only so that steps might be
taken to prevent further infection occurring from the source which gives
rise to the first case, but so that preventive measures can be taken to
reduce the risk of similar lapses in hygienic standards leading to similar
trouble. While then the great killers are not exacting their toll, much
time still has to be devoted to other infections which while not causing
dramatic numbers of deaths are nevertheless accounting for much illness,
pain and suffering, and loss of earning capacity not only that of the patient
himself but of those who have to look after him. The control of infections
then continues to be a most important part of the duties of those in the
Public Health Services.
The measures which can be taken vary with the different diseases
and include:—
Notification. The list of conditions which are notifiable includes
certain infections listed in the Public Health Act, 1936 which list is largely
a repetition of those diseases notifiable under the original Infectious
Diseases Notification Act, and certain other conditions which have been
made notifiable by regulation. The receipt of a notification sets in tram
the various steps taken by those in the Public Health Department to
ascertain the source of infection and so possibly prevent others contracting
infection from that same source, and to discover the contacts
with a view to limiting further spread of infection. Some conditions such
as measles were made notifiable largely for statistical and epidemiological
purposes. Some diseases such as erysipelas, once of serious significance,
are now of little public health importance. Scarlet fever is an instance of
an infection once so lethal but which has now become one of little public
health significance. With these changes in the infections themselves, the