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It will be seen from these figures that of 54 cases of paralytic poliomyelitis occurring
during these nine years, 38 recovered completely, regaining full power of every muscle
affected.
The scheme for vaccination against poliomyelitis inaugurated by Middlesex County
Council in 1956 was extended in 1957 and considerable progress made towards the completion
of vaccination of the children registered. During 1957, 1,467 children received
two injections, and that, added to the figure of 189 in 1956 receiving two injections, made
a total of 1,656 considered to have satisfactory protection. As the numbers of cases of
poliomyelitis in this Borough have been very small for a number of years it is not likely that
any conclusions as to the efficacy of the vaccination will be available for a long time. At the
end of the year there were still 1,809 awaiting inoculation, their parents having given consent
for the treatment.
Influenza
During the first part of 1957 extensive outbreaks of influenza occurred in several countries
of the Far East. The illness was of a reasonably mild nature, and the fatality rate was
not high. Investigation of the organism causing this illness proved it to be a type of Virus
A Influenza, and the disease spread slowly across the world in a westerly direction with some
increase in the intensity of the illness as it travelled. Observation was kept on passengers
travelling from the East into this country, and Medical Officers of Health were warned to
look out for the occurrence of influenza in their districts. In Southall general practitioners
were notified of all information received from the Ministry of Health and the Port
Authorities, and several doctors agreed to co-operate by making special investigations of
any case of influenza which was seen in the early stages. The arrangements were that
specimens of blood and sputum would be obtained and kept refrigerated at Southall Norwood
Hospital (by courtesy of the Matron) until they could be collected by the staff from
Colindale Laboratory. The reason for this special way of dealing with these specimens was
because of the extreme fragility of the virus outside of the human body. Arrangements
were also made for schools to keep the Department informed of the figures for absence if
they rose above the normal percentage of absence for the time of year. In the end of September
large numbers of school children began to develop influenza-like symptoms.
Although in a few cases specimens were taken, the Virus A Type influenza, colloquially
labelled " Asiatic 'flu," was never confirmed in Southall, although it was found in one or
two districts in Middlesex. The disease in Southall was not of a very severe character,
but during the year the number of deaths attributed to influenza did rise to eight compared
with the usual two or three attributed to this cause in previous years. There appeared
to be little spread to the adult population until the end of the year, when the incidence of
influenzal symptoms and cases of pneumonia led to a heavy demand on hospital bed accommodation,
and at the end of the year watchfulness was continuing as it was feared that a
heavy outbreak of the really serious type of the disease might still occur.
Dysentery
Twenty-eight notifications of dysentery were received in 1957. Of these, n were
confirmed as caused by Shigella Sonnei, and one as Shigella Flexner. In addition, two
cases notified as suspected food poisoning were subsequently confirmed as Sonne Dysentery.
Seven of these cases occurred in St. Bernard's Hospital, but no outbreak occurred, rigid
precautions being taken after the first positive result, in accordance with experience gained
during the outbreak of 1956.
Except for one family and the St. Bernard's cases, all the others were single, and in no
way connected with each other, the notifications coming in from all parts of the Borough.
In one family three members were affected, and it took six weeks to clear this family from
infection.
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