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The character of the disease was again mild, as it had been in the 1944 outbreak.
There were no fatal cases.
In the early part of the summer there were a number of cases of dysentery. Immediate
investigation was made into all possible food sources which might be expected to
cause this type of infection, but nothing conclusive was found and the outbreak did not
assume epidemic proportions. No cases were notified after September.
The incidence of diphtheria was slightly raised from 15 notified in 1944 to 31 in 1945,
but 11 of these cases were found in hospital to be cases other than diphtheria, and only one
of these had previously been immunised against diphtheria.
Provision of Antitoxin.
The Council provides antitoxin free to local medical practitioners for cases of
diphtheria in the district.
The Ministry of Health has also sanctioned the supply of tetanus antitoxin by the
Council to local practitioners if such is required.
Diphtheria and tetanus antitoxin can always be obtained at the Health Department
during office hours or at the Isolation Hospital at other times.
Under the scheme for the provision of insulin for necessitous cases not covered by other
schemes, 17 people were supplied during 1945, either free or at part cost.
Vaccination.
The total number of successful vaccination certificates received during the year
was 185, and the number of certificates of exemption issued was 221.
Table XXII in Appendix gives details of the percentage of children successfully
vaccinated during the last seven years.
The proportion of vaccinated to unvaccinated infants becomes smaller each year. In
1945 it was 22% vaccinated to 78% unvaccinated. It seems difficult to combat lethargy of
parents in this matter, but in the course of health teaching, all mothers are informed of the
dangers of smallpox for unvaccinated infants.
Disinfection.
% In cases of infectious disease, rooms, clothing, etc., are disinfected—rooms by
sealing and fumigating with formalin or a formalin preparation ; clothing, bedding, etc.,
and infected articles which can be removed for steam disinfection, by treatment in the
disinfector at the hospital.

The following articles were destroyed : 21 mattresses, 11 bolsters, 6 pillows, 2 sheets,
and 189 articles of clothing.
Cancer.
It will be seen by the table of causes of death (page 26) that in 1945, 83 cases (39
males and 44 females) died from cancer. (See Appendix, Tables XXIII and XXIV.)
There was again in 1945 an increase in the number of deaths from cancer, although
not to the high level it reached in the years preceding 1944. During that year the statistics
showed a marked and satisfactory dimunition in the number of deaths from cancer.
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