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In addition there were 5.833 visits paid where no reply was received.
At the request of the Director of the Public Health Laboratory at
the Chelmsford and Essex Hospital, assistance has been given in a survey,
which has been carried out in selected areas throughout the Country, to
determine the intestinal carriage of poliomyelitis, other viruses and food
poisoning organisms in young children. The survey was commenced in
Ilford in July 1961, with the object of covering over a period of a year
about 1,000 children under the age of five years, some 20 children being
selected at random in specified age groups each week. A letter sent to
the parents explaining the nature of the survey and seeking their cooperation
has been followed by a visit from the health visitor and those
parents who have agreed to take part have themselves posted to the
laboratory a specimen of the child's faeces. The excellent response has
been very gratifying and in the six months ended the 31st December 1961,
of 505 families contacted by the health visitors 494 had agreed to participate
and a total of 459 specimens had been received at the Laboratory.
DAY NURSERIES
(a) The hours of opening at the two nurseries during 1961 continued
to be 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday only.
(b) The standard charge for accommodation at the day nurseries
remains at 10/6d. per child per day. Provision is made for this charge to
reduced according to scale when the means of the parents do not justify
the full fee.
Accommodation has continued to be made available to neighbouring
Areas for children who can more conveniently attend an Ilford nursery
than one in their own Area.
(c) The training of students at the Nurseries for the Certificate of
the National Nursery Examination Board continued. Six students (3 from
the Ley Street Nursery and 3 from the Goodmayes Lane Nursery) entered
for the examination during the year, all of whom obtained the Certificate.
(d) The following is a table showing the attendances, etc., at the
day nurseries during 1961:-