1966-67 and reached its peak in the first three months of 1967. There- after incidence of the disease began to decline and the disease was at its ebb during the winter months of 1967-68.
NOTIFICATIONS Į DEATHS
2000
1600-
1200-
1980
FICURE 4
MONTHLY MEASLES NOTIFICATIONS & DEATHS JANUARY 1960 - MARCH 198
NOTIFICATION
DEATHS
1961
1982
1960 1964
YEAR
1:55
1968.
1067
1960
26. The discasc affected predominantly children under the age of four years. The high mortality associated with the disease during each outbreak has been due mainly to complications, particularly broncho- pneumonia, developing as a result of delay in seeking early medical attention. Health education efforts through press and radio were can- tinued throughout the outbreak to encourage parents to bring their children for early medical advice.
27. At the end of December 1967 measles vaccine was made avail- able at all Government Maternal and Child Health Centres to children aged between six and forty-eight months. The drive is being continued in order to offer ample opportunities for children to become immunized before the next expected biennial rise in the winter months of 1968-69.
目
Poliomyelitis
28. A further fall in the incidence of poliomyelitis was observed and a report of five cases during the year was the lowest recorded since 1949. The success in the control of the disease has been due to the continuing vaccination programme, consisting of giving one dose of Type 1 polio. vaccine, soon after birth, followed by two doses of 'balanced' trivalent vaccine at three and five months of age. Approximately 77% of infants received one dose of Type I poliovaccine soon after birth and more than half of these children subsequently received two doses of the trivalent vaccine at Maternal and Child Health Centres. A general campaign is mounted annually in an attempt to immunize the remainder.
29. Virological investigation of the disease is maintained on a routine and year-round bases. Two poliomyelitis faecal surveys in normal children were carried out in July and December respectively. The excretor rate of 'wild' poliovirus was 0.2% in July and none in December. Vaccine strains of poliovirus were found in 1.4% of children in the December's survey only.
Influenza
30. The notification of influenza is entirely voluntary. The Virus Laboratory continued to function as a World Health Organization National Influenza Centre and virological investigations of throat swabbings and throat washings are continued on a year-round basis. A minor outbreak of the disease occurred in August and September. The virus isolated was similar to the more recent A2 antigenic variant.
Tetanus
31. This disease, although not notifiable, is recorded with reasonable accuracy owing to the severity of the symptoms requiring hospitaliza- tion of clinical cases. In past years, approximately half the cases reported were in newborns whose birth had not been attended by trained personnel and who had been exposed to various hazards from unsterile materials. In 1967 tetanus neonatorum was responsible for only one-fifth of the recorded cases and infant mortality from such infection fell from 1.2 deaths per 1,000 in 1951 to 0.18 deaths in 1967.
Viral Hepatitis
32. Notification of this disease is not compulsory, but the number of patients treated for this disease in hospitals had shown an increase
9