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admitted to hospital for treatment. The infection continued to be mild in
character and as is usual was most common in children of school age.
Forty-two of the notifications related to children in the 5-9 years age
group.
MEASLES.
Six hundred and twenty seven cases of measles were notified during
the year compared with 134 in 1958. There was no mortality from the
disease. The number of cases notified in 1956 and 1957 was 64 and
660 respectively, and this series of figures illustrates how this disease is
more prevalent in alternate years.
ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS.
Of four cases reported two were diagnosed as Acute Infective Encephalitis
and two as Post Infectious Encephalitis. Of the latter two
cases one became infected following an attack of chicken pox and the
other following influenza. All recovered.
DIPHTHERIA.
Although for the tenth year running there were no cases of
Diphtheria in Wimbledon, it cannot be emphasised too strongly that
Diphtheria is still about and could return unless a high level of
immunisation is maintained in the community. Notifications of Diptheria
in England and Wales in 1959 amounted to 103 which is the highest
number of cases notified since 1956 and included outbreaks of the disease
in unimmunised children in some parts of London.
This increase in notified cases of Diphtheria serves to emphasize to
parents the importance of keeping their children as highly immune as
possible by early immunisation and periodical reinforcing doses.
TYPHOID FEVER.
One case was notified. This was a girl of 17 years who was admitted
to hospital in January suffering from a Pyrexia of unknown
origin and was diagnosed, after bacteriological examination, as suffering
from typhoid fever type E.l. This girl had returned from boarding
school in Switzerland for the Christmas holidays and it seems probable
that she may have picked up the infection in Switzerland although on
enquiry of the Principal of the Boarding School no evidence was obtained
of any other similar cases among the students, teachers or staff.
Investigations carried out in respect of all known contacts failed
to reveal any further cases of typhoid fever. The patient responded to
treatment and soon became free from infection.
PARATYPHOID FEVER
One case occurred in a young man of 18 years who was removed
to hospital following fever and sickness. Bacteriological examination
of other members of the family and known contacts proved to be
negative. The patient made an uneventful recovery.
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