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7
PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES.
SCARLET FEVER.
The number of cases of scarlet fever notified during the year
was sixteen, giving an incidence rate of 0.35 per thousand population,
a much lower rate than in 1953.
All the cases were very mild and no fatalities occurred.
Six cases were treated at home and ten removed to Hospital.
DIPHTHERIA.
For the seventh year in succession the district was completely
free from this disease, the last case having been notified in April,
1947.
Immunisation against diphtheria progresses smoothly. Special
efforts are made to encourage mothers to bring their babies
for immunisation in those cases where persuasion by the health
visitor has failed. A note is made of every child aged seven months
and older who has not been immunised and the parents of these
babies are circularised in regard to the importance of immunisation
against diphtheria. In many cases this personally addressed
circular succeeds where other methods of encouragement have
failed.
Under the National Health Service Act all medical practitioners
providing general medical services in the area have been
given an opportunity to provide services in the scheme. This
has resulted in a number of children being immunised otherwise
than at schools or clinics.
The following statistics refer to immunisation carried out
during the year:—
Number of children immunised during the year
(pre-school 555, school 61) 616
Number of children receiving reinforcing doses 1089
Of the above, 190 were immunised and 102 given reinforcing
doses by private practitioners.
The fear of diphtheria has declined among parents in a direct
relation to the decline of the disease itself; the majority of parents
of young children nowadays have never seen or heard of a case of