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42
Poliomyelitis
There was no case during the year, the second time this has
occurred in the last 14 years. This was probably helped by the
extensive vaccination of children and by the rather inclement weather.
Poliomyelitis Vaccination
During the year the scheme was extended to the age group 16
to 25 years. There was a very poor initial response of less than
2 per cent.
For children under 15 the response was good so that during the
year 7,395 children had been vaccinated. The total of all children
immunised by the end of 1958 was 9,586 out of 15,631 children, that
is 61.3 per cent. and each had received two or more doses of vaccine.
Large numbers of applications for vaccination were still coming
in, however, at the end of the year.
Fortunately, the question left to parents as to whether they
should ask for Salk or British manufactured vaccine, for the most
part died out, as did the British testing of Salk vaccine, which was
additional to tests in America.
It is a pity that other measures, such as not giving a poliomyelitis
injection within two weeks of other injections and giving only single
injections in the summer months, are still not rescinded at a time
when some countries are giving a four in one vaccine.
Enteric Fever
There was one case of enteric fever during the year, a case of
paratyphoid which was, however, contracted in Ireland.
Diarrhcea and Enteritis Under Two Years of Age
No death was registered during the year.
Food Poisoning Outbreaks
There were nine cases of food poisoning in 1958. Three were
single cases and in two instances three members of a family were
affected. The illness was caused by S. Typhimurium in one case and