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8
PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES.
SCARLET FEVER.
The number of cases of scarlet fever notified during the
year remained comparatively low, a total of 49 giving an incidence
rate of 1.10 per 1,000 population.
The majority of cases were mild and no fatalities occurred.
Eleven cases were treated at home and thirty-eight cases were
removed to hospital.
A large proportion of the cases resulted from an outbreak
in a residential children's nursery where there were 26 children
and 9 resident staff. There were also 6 additional members of
the staff who were non-resident. The outbreak began with 3
children falling ill at approximately the same time and, over a
period of eleven days, a total of 16 children was affected. Seven
days later one more child developed scarlet fever and this was
the end of the incident. Several interesting features emerged
from this small outbreak — the unusually high morbidity rate,
17 children out of 26 having been affected; the fact that no
member of the staff contracted the illness; and the relative
immunity of children aged one year or under. Only one out of
seven infants of this age was affected. In spite of exhaustive
enquiries and investigations there was no clue as to the origin
of the infection.
DIPHTHERIA.
Three cases of diphtheria occurred in residents ot the district,
all of them young adults without any history of previous
immunisation. No deaths occurred.
The scheme for immunisation progresses satisfactorily, and
parents are beginning to accept immunisation as a matter of
course. We are now recommending it at the age of seven months
in order to prevent the occasional unfortunate case under one
year. When done so early it is probably advisable to give a
third dose twelve months later. Under the present scheme
children arc given the opportunity of receiving a re-inforcing
dose at intervals of 3—5 years up to school leaving age.
At the end of the year records in the Public Health
Department showed that of the children living in the district
aged 0—5 years 46% have been immunised, and of the children
5—15 years 87% have been immunised. The figures for
school children have improved, as recent visits to schools have