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In June 1961 the Public Health Laboratory Service commenced a
national one-year study of the incidence of poliomyelitis and other
viruses in the faeces of normal children below 5 years of age with
the object of obtaining more information as to the presence of these
infections and to see what changes have taken place as a result of
the widespread use of polio vaccine.
We co-operated in this survey by arranging for and collecting
five specimens per week during the period June 1961 to June 1962,
from a total of 280 children.
The promised report on the study is awaited.
FOOD POISONING.
There were only four confirmed cases notified by general medical
practitioners; the causative organisms were identified as shown below:-
S. Typhi-murium 4 cases.
The ages of the four persons were as follows:-
2 years 1
3 years 1
5½ years 1
60 years 1
There was no connection between the cases and no source of
origin of infection could be traced in any of them.
No outbreaks of food poisoning in the town were notified in 1962.
LABORATORY FACILITIES.
Extensive use is made of the facilities provided by the Public
Health Laboratory Service (directed by the Medical Research Council
for the Ministry of Health); and opportunity is taken gratefully to
acknowledge the co-operation of Dr. D.R. Gamble and his staff at the
Epsom Laboratory to which our specimens are taken.

EXCLUSION FROM SCHOOL.
Eighteen certificates were issued during the year excluding and
re-admitting school cases and contacts of infectious disease.
17.