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SECTION G. — PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL
OVER, INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES.
During the year there were 344 cases of infectious disease notified
compared with 1,074 cases in 1955 and 200 in 1954. Of the total
notifications, 110 were in respect of scarlet fever and 82 in respect of
whooping cough.
SMALLPOX.
No case occurred in the Borough during the year, nor were we
required to undertake surveillance of any contacts.
SCARLET FEVER.
There were 110 cases of scarlet fever notified during 1956 compared
with 77 in 1955, 49 in 1954, and 96 in 1953. Forty-eight of the cases were
treated in hospital. This disease for a number of years has been mild
in character.
ERYSIPELAS.
Six cases were notified, four of which were removed to hospital.
All recovered.
DIPHTHERIA.
There were no confirmed cases during the year. Deaths from this
disease are now greatly outnumbered every year by deaths from whooping
cough and measles, and many young parents believe that, because
they have never seen or heard of a case of diphtheria, the danger from
this dreaded disease has disappeared. This is not so - diphtheria could
return in its old killing epidemic form, and it is important, therefore,
that there should be no relaxation in the campaign for diphtheria
immunisation. It is only by maintaining a high level of immunity that
the population will be safeguarded from the return of this disease.
DYSENTERY.
Fifteen cases of dysentery were notified compared with 2 in 1955,
14 in 1954, 19 in 1953 and 36 in 1952. Ten of the notifications were in
respect of two separate outbreaks in the same family. The onset in the
first outbreak occurred when two boys of the family, aged 8 and 14
years, were sent home from school suffering from diarrhoea and sickness.
Subsequently, two other children of the family, aged 5 and 9 years, and
the mother and father, developed symptoms, and following bacteriological
investigation, were all found to be positive for shigella sonnei. The
four children were admitted to hospital and the parents treated at home,
until specimens were completely negative. Later in the year the four
children of this family again developed sonne dysentery and were
admitted to hospital.
The 5 remaining cases occurred singly in various parts of the
Borough and were unrelated to each other.
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