View report page

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.
All the cases were very mild and no fatalities occurred.
Twelve cases were treated at home and four removed to Hospital.
DIPHTHERIA.
For the eighth 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 four 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 carricd out
during the year:—
Number of children immunised during the year
(pre-school 476, school 44) 20
Number of children receiving reinforcing doses 711
Of the above, 143 were immunised and 78 given reinforcing
doses by private practitioners.
In 1901, 10,000 persons died from diphtheria in England and
Wales: In 1955 this number had been reduced to 11. Since 1944
(when records of corrected notifications were first kept) notifications
have fallen from over 23,000 in that year to a new low figure
of 161 for 1955.