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Section F—Prevalence of and Control over
Infectious and other Diseases.
The district has, within its boundaries, three General Hospitals, two
of which, namely, Queen Mary's Hospital for Children and the St. Helier
Hospital, are particularly large institutions which are part of the hospital
services of the South-West Metropolitan Hospital Region. Many of the
cases notified from these hospitals are admitted there from other districts
already suffering from a notifiable disease, but not diagnosed until after
admission. In order, therefore, to give a clearer picture of the prevalence
of infectious disease in the resident population of the district, separate
figures are given in this Section which exclude cases of hospital patients
who are not residents of the district. The figures given are after correction
for original errors in diagnosis.
Notification
The following diseases are notifiable in the district :
Smallpox Tuberculosis Enteric Fever
Cholera Dysentery Relapsing or Continued
Diphtheria Acute Primary Fever
Membranous Croup Pneumonia Meningococcal Infection
Erysipelas Acute Influenzal Ophthalmia
Scarlatina or Pneumonia Neonatorum
Scarlet Fever Acute Poliomyelitis Puerperal Pyrexia
Measles Acute Malaria
Whooping Cough Polioencephalitis Food Poisoning
Typhus Fever Leprosy
Typhoid Fever
Smallpox
No cases of variola occurred during the year.
Vaccination.
The County Council is responsible for the scheme formulated under Part
III of the National Health Service Act for providing free vaccination against
smallpox. By agreement with the District Councils it is directed locally by
the District Medical Officers of Health. Vaccination is available at the
Infant Welfare and School Clinics. It can also be secured from doctors
providing general practitioner services under the Act.
Every endeavour is made to induce parents to secure this safeguard
against smallpox for children in the first six months of life. Although the
chances of contracting this infection in this country are now very small, a
high proportion of the population is required to do National Service when
vaccination is compulsory, and year by year more people are travelling
abroad to places where the risks are much greater. It is known that primary
vaccination in infancy is attended by very much less reaction than when
done in later life, and although re-vaccination may be necessary in adult
years prior to National Service or in the face of special risks such as
those of foreign travel or in an outbreak of smallpox, undesirable effects
from the treatment on the second occasion are greatly reduced by having had
primary vaccination as a baby.
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