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Measles
The rhythm of periodicity in the prevalence of measles in the large
conurbations varies only occasionally. It usually appears in marked epidemic
form every second year, though the "non-epidemic" years are never free
from a significant number of cases. This holds true for the greater London
area as in the other large cities, although the pattern was certainly upset in
1940 when the expected visitation did not materialize, doubtless due to the
large scale evacuation of children from the Metropolis. The biennial fluctuation
has however been largely restored for many years past. The year
1958 was a year of comparatively low incidence when only 83 cases were
notified in the district. The year under review, as expected, saw a marked
rise in the number of cases to 973 confined almost entirely to the first seven
months of the year. This two yearly fluctuation is shown by the number of
cases occurring in the district in each of the last seven years, which were as
follows :—
1953 652 1957 684
1954 173 1958 83
1955 1,138 1959 973
1956 326
The prevalence in 1959 was fairly generally distributed over the area.
There were no deaths.