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There was a slight drop in the number of children receiving primary immunisation
against diphtheria during the year. The total of protected children, i.e., children under 15
who have had at least one full course of immunisation in their lives, shows a slight increase.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
No case of ophthalmia neonatorum was notified during the year.
Tuberculosis
Pulmonary Tuberculosis
The number of new cases notified during the year was 79.
Other Forms of Tuberculosis
The number of new cases notified during the year was 8.
Of the total notifications, 3 were received from medical practitioners; 52 from the
Uxbridge Chest Clinic; 13 from General Hospitals; and 19 from St. Bernard's Hospital.
Deaths from Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis of the respiratory system, 13; other forms, 2.
For details of new cases notified and deaths in 1957, see Appendix, Table IX, and for
the occupation of new cases see Appendix, Table X.
Public Health (Prevention of Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1925
Public Health Act, 1936, Section 172
Action under these powers was not necessary during the year.
The number of new notifications rose from 85 in 1956 to 87 in 1957. Of the 87, 30
were inward transfers, i.e. they were not resident in Southall at the time of development
of disease, and, therefore, the actual figure of new notifications of Southall residents was 57,
while in 1956 the number of inward transfers was 24, making the figure for new notifications
of Southall residents 61.
Although the number of new cases of tuberculosis notified during the year was slightly
less than in 1956, the number of deaths rose. This is a much more disturbing figure than
if the notifications rose as it is an indication that cases are still being discovered too late for
treatment. The figure in 1956 was 9 deaths in total whereas in 1957 the figure rose to 15,
nearly double. Of the total number of new notifications in 1957,10 were Indians, while in
the previous year out of 61 new notifications, 8 were Indians. There are two possibilities
here; one is that coming from areas where tuberculosis is still a grave problem the patients
were incubating the disease or had already developed it when they arrived in this country, or,
alternatively, conditions of living and climate in this country were such as to lower the
resistance to a point where tuberculosis could no longer be resisted. A study of the deaths
from tuberculosis, however, does not reveal one single death from this disease among the
Indian residents, so the response to treatment must be good. Both the rise in incidence
and the apparently satisfactory response to treatment are indications that early case finding
should be given the highest priority and that examination of immigrants as they arrive
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