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The total number of infectious disease notifications received during the year was lower
than in 1951, being 844 compared with 1,835 the previous year, the main reductions being
in measles, whooping cough and dysentery.
A slight increase in the number of notifications from scarlet fever was noted, but
infection was not severe and few secondary cases occurred.
The notifications of puerperal pyrexia fell from 11 in 1951 to 7 in 1952, which is an
encouraging figure.
Particulars with regard to measles and poliomyelitis are mentioned specially under
separate headings.
Monthly Bulletins on Incidence of Infectious Disease
These bulletins were circulated monthly to all general practitioners in the Borough,
and, in addition to information with regard to infectious diseases occurring during the
previous month, any topical matter, or incident of mutual interest to general practitioners
and the Public Health Service, was also included; for instance, particulars concerning
the Cripples' Club when it was starting at the Community Centre, Home Accidents statistics,
and Old People's Welfare information.
Measles
Notifications of measles dropped during the year 1952, being 528 as compared with
1,129 the previous year. But the notifications began to increase towards the end of October,
and during November and December, a considerable number of notifications was received,
indicating the start of the biennial high wave of measles cases, which we have come to expect,

Poliomyelitis
Eight notifications were received of acute anterior poliomyelitis; seven paralytic and
one non-paralytic. No deaths occurred from this disease, and particulars of the paralytic
cases are as follows:—
1952 :
Case A. Paralysis of right leg, abdominal Adult female. This patient was a visitor
muscles and left arm to the district having presumably
tained her infection in Leeds. Her
condition improved and she returned to
Leeds with some paralysis of the left
arm remaining.
Case B. Paralysis of both legs Adult male. Good recovery, but left
hospital with some weakness of the right
leg, to continue physio-therapy treatment.
Case C. Paralysis of left leg Boy aged one year. Paralysis remaining,
transferred to orthopaedic hospital for
further treatment.
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