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5.
Whooping cough is one of the most serious diseases of childhood
and. mothers appreciate the facilities for immunisation which are
available. It is to be hoped that whooping cough immunisation will
prove as effective as immunisation against diphtheria. 534 children
were immunised during the year and 108 received a reinforcing dose.
Tetanus
Inoculation against tetanus has been available since 1956 and is
now widely accepted. Although not a common disease, the mortality rate
is high and immunisation is recommended. 606 children were immunised
during the year and 94 received a reinforcing dose.
Smallpox Vaccination
Vaccinations 434
Revaccinations 79
513
Of the above, 211 individuals were vaccinated or revaccinated
by private practitioners.
380 of the persons vaccinated were under one year of age.
The substantial degree of protection from smallpox which the
population had during the time of compulsory vaccination is being slowly
reduced due to the reduction throughout the country in the numbers of
children vaccinated at the appropriate time. The percentage of infants
under 1 year vaccinated in this Borough during the year was 67.9%.
As with diphtheria immunisation, all medical practitioners
providing general medical services in the area are given an opportunity
to provide services for carrying out vaccinations.
Scarlet Fever
The number of cases of scarlet fever notified during the year
was 13, giving an incidence rate of 0.28 per thousand, population.
All the cases were very mild.
Measles
1960 was not an epidemic year for measles which continues to appear
regularly in alternate years. Only 8 cases were notified compared with
385 cases the previous year. No deaths occurred.