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It is pleasing to be able to report that 1970 was another year in which
the Borough has remained free from the more serious infections.
During the year, there were two noteworthy features—firstly, the
measles outbreak, which affected Harrow along with the rest of the
country and, secondly, a slight increase in the number of cases of dysentery
and food poisoning. With regard to the latter, whilst there are annual
fluctuations in the number of notifications, it is regrettable to observe
even a slight increase in conditions, which could and should be eradicated
by the general public themselves.
Measles
There were 1,080 cases of measles in 1970. This in itself was not
abnormal but 1969 should have been the epidemic year and only 302 cases
were reported. At that time, one had hoped that this unusually low
incidence might have been due to the programme of measles vaccination.
Had this been so it might have indicated that the eradication of the disease
was imminent. However, the epidemic of 1970 showed that only the
periodicity exhibited by the virus had been altered and that greater
numbers of children must be protected before the community as a whole
can benefit from vaccination. Unfortunately, far too many people think
that measles is a harmless childhood infection, whereas it is of course a
disease, which frequently leaves the patient with serious life-long disabilities
and can even cause death.
Infective Jaundice
The returns for 1970 closely matched those of 1969, which was the
first complete year during which infective jaundice was a notifiable