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12
Measles
Whooping
Cough
Respiratory symptoms predominated, that Is to say sore throat,
cough and running rose but some patients had abdominal pain,
vomiting and diarrhoea. The period of acute illness lasted 3 or
4 days but it took anything up to 3 weeks for patients to
recover completely. Absence from work due to illness was
widespread and the returns of new claims to sickness benefit
received by the Ministry of Social Security for Ilford alone rose
to 1,152 compared with a previous weekly average of about
350. A similar dramatic rise in sickness absence had not been
seen since February 1959 and October 1957, the latter being
due to influenza A (Asian) virus.
Measles showed the expected rise in incidence in 1967,
2,695 cases being notified compared with 827 in 1966. There
were indications near the end of the year that the Ministry of
Health would bestow its approval on measles vaccine.. When
measles vaccination becomes freely acceptable it is expected
that the disease will fall to very low levels. It has been the
experience in the United States of America that the expected
biennial epidemic of measles has been wiped out as a result of
widespread measles vaccination. This is an unmixed blessing
because in a 'measles year' In Redbridge some 3000 cases are
notified and taking Into account the considerable undernotlfl*
cation of this disease the true figure is probably In the region
of 5,000 cases, at a conservative estimate.
Measles is an unpleasant disease, children suffering from
It being miserable for several days. Complications such as
pneumonia and middle ear infection are common and the rarer
complication of encephalitis is very serious. Anything which
can be done to lighten the load of childhood sickness is
therefore to be welcomed, as is the lightening of the work load
of the family doctor and the other drain on the country's
resources in the form of drug bills.
Notified cases of whooping cough showed an unwelcome
rise to 202 from 63 in 1967 and 80 in 1966. The age at which
the disease was contracted showed a change in that nearly
half of the cases were over the age of 5 years, the proportion
In the preceding two years having been between one-third and
one-quarter of the total.
Not all of the notified cases were typical whooping cough
with red eyes, machine-gun cough and prolonged inspiratory
whoop. Many of them had only mild but persistent coughs and
diagnosis was based on known contact with a case and the
family doctor's experience of similar cases modified by previous
whooping-cough immunisation.