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Diphtheria.
It w ill be noted that there is a large increase in
the number of cases of Diphtheria. The total number
of cases notified was 49, of which 48 were removed
to Hospital and 3 deaths occurred. This is
the largest number of cases of Diphtheria which has
occurred in the Urban District during the past 10
years and the average number of cases occurring
annually from 1925 to 1934 inclusive has been 24.8.
This particular outbreak occurred near the end
of August and spread rapidly through one class of
school children. It was found to originate from a
carrier who was not suffering from the disease but
who had infected his wife who had passed the infection
on to school children relatives and thus into
the class of school children. The cases were of an
extremely virulent type and the first death occurred
at home prior to notification. The succeeding 2
deaths occurred in the Isolation Hospital.
The spread of the disease was effectively
checked by the end of September since when there
have been no unusual number of cases.
The Council approved of the Schick Test and
Immunisation but eventually declined to go further,
as they thought that the County Council should be
asked to undertake it, as they are the School
Authority.