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MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTION
One case occurred in a child of seventeen months who was admitted to
hospital with initial symptoms of lassitude, high temperature and fretfulness.
This was considered to be a case of meningococcal meningitis and was notified
as such although this diagnosis was not confirmed by bacteriological
investigation. The child made a good recovery.
DYSENTERY
For the second year running only one case of dysentery was notified
compared with 17 in 1960, 11 in 1959 and 24 in 1958. This case was a young
married woman who became ill with diarrhoea after returning from holiday in
Spain. Bacteriological investigation revealed that she was infected with
shigella sonnei but faeces specimens examined from other hone contacts proved
negative.
Every case of dysentery, and suspected case, is followed up systematically,
and the importance of personal hygiene in preventing the spread of
infection stressed at all times. Dysentery is generally a mild illness but
will spread rapidly in nurseries and schools unless quickly checked.
POLIOMYELITIS
No case of poliomyelitis occurred. In the past five years there have
been only 3 confirmed cases of poliomyelitis all of which occurred in unvaccinated
persons. This most satisfactory state of affairs indicates how
effective vaccination has proved in the control of this disease.
Routine vaccination against poliomyelitis is now undertaken almost
entirely with oral vaccine. A high proportion of Wimbledon children have been
vaccinated against poliomyelitis.
WINTER EPIDEMICS
In the first week of January information was received from the local
office of the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance that the percentage
of new sickness benefit claims of the insured population was 225% of the
average weekly figure. This figure increased to 385% of the average weekly
figure for the week ending 9th January, 1962 but from the week ending 16th
January there was a steady decline in new sickness benefit claims and by the
end of January the position had returned to normal.
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