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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(a) NOTIFIABLE INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Diphtheria
The number of cases of diphtheria notified during the
year was 5 as compared with 4 in 1943, 7 in 1942, 25 in 1941, 18
in 1940 and 25 in 1939. All five. cases were admitted to
hospital. There were three deaths, two being adults in the same
family. The death rate was 0.03 per 1,000 of the population as
compared with 0.02 for England and Wales.
Supply of anti-toxin
Medical practitioners practising in the Borough may at
any time obtain a supply of diphtheria anti-toxin from the fire
stations at Twickenham or Teddington, free of charge.
Diphtheria immunisation
At the end of the year it was estimated that the percentage
of the child population immunized against diphtheria was as
follows:-
Under 5 years 52%
5 to 15 years 76.4%
The following is a brief summary of the work carried
out during the year:-
Total number of new cases 1153
Schick Testing
1st Schick test (before inoculation)
No. tested 9
No. susceptible 4
No. immune 5
No. failed to attend -
2nd Schick test (after completion of 1st
course of injections)
No. tested 933
No. protected 766 (82.1%)
No. susceptible 39
No. failed to attend 128
All those found to be incompletely protected after the
second Post Schick were re-inoculated.
Total No. of attendances for year - 4, 164
The diphtheria prophylactic used was A.P.T. and T.A..F.
Scarlet Fever
There was a sharp drop in the number of cases occurring
in the Borough during the year, 121 being notified as compared with
238 for the previous year. 35 cases were admitted to hospital.
There were again no deaths. The death rate for England and Wales
was 0.00 per 1,000 of the population.
Smallpox
No case of smallpox was notified during the year. Ten
contacts were kept under observation by the Department.
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