View report page

96
Protection of Susceptible Contacts. Limited supplies of gamma
globulin are held at the Colindale Laboratory for (1) The control of
hospital and institution outbreaks. (2) Persons suffering from intercurrent
illness or living in a poor environment for whom an attack of
measles would be dangerous. (3) Children under three years of age.
WHOOPING COUGH
The district was almost free from whooping cough in 1958, only 40
notifications being received, these cases being spread throughout the
year. It is not possible to say to what extent the favourable state is the
result of many of the children having been inoculated. The incidence of
this and of other infections fluctuates for reasons quite unconnected
with the state of relative immunity of the population. That so few cases
should have occurred suggests that the district benefitted from some
change in the organism; had the small number of cases been the effect of
inoculation, such a high protection would not have been expected as
although the efficacy of the vaccine has improved, it is not claimed for
the vaccine even now being used that it is anything like as effective a
preventative as that used for instance against diphtheria. While most
effective in modifying an attack, it is not so successful in completely
warding-off that attack so that the inoculated child can still suffer a
mild but still communicable attack.
No persons suffering from whooping cough were removed to hospital
and there were no fatalities.
Inoculation. During the year 1,921 children were inoculated,
1,047 by general medical practitioners and 874 at the clinics.
PUERPERAL PYREXIA
The condition which is notifiable as puerperal pyrexia is a fever of
up to 100-4° occuring within fourteen days of a woman having given
birth to a child or having had a miscarriage. A rise of temperature then
from whatever cause such as influenza or even a cold is strictly notifiable
when that occurs in a woman who has recently been confined.
Of the 14 persons notified during the year as suffering from
puerperal pyrexia, two had colds, two had cystitis and five engorged
breasts. In the remaining cases the rise of temperature was apparently
due to retained products. Four of the sufferers were removed to hospital
for treatment.
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM
No notifications of ophthalmia neonatorum were received during last
year.
NON-NOTIFIABLE INFECTIONS
Knowledge of the prevalence of some of the infections which are not
notifiable in the district is obtained from intimations received from
Head Teachers about the absence of children from school.