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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 oft he 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 Group 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 and
Typhus Fever suspected food
Typhoid Fever poisoning
Leprosy
Smallpox
No case of smallpox occurred in the area. There are no known
foci of variola infection in this country. Any cases which are reported
are invariably the result of importation from overseas.
Vaccination against Smallpox.
The arrangements for vaccination against smallpox are the responsibility
of the County Council under Section 26 of the National Health
Service Act, but by arrangement between the Councils they are directed
locally by the District Medical Officer of Health. The practice is to
secure protection for every child by primary vaccination during infancy
usually before the sixth month. Re-vaccination is mostly practised when
individuals are proceeding abroad to infected countries or to countries
which require recent vaccination before permission to enter is granted,
or to contacts of known or suspected cases usually aboard ship arriving
from the East. Records of primary vaccination in childhood are
sufficiently complete to form a reliable estimate of the number given
this protection under the age of 5 years. The percentage so treated has
been maintained for many years at the not unsatisfactory level of slightly
less than 60%.
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