London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
65
Notification remains as before limited to the first case occurring
in a house within a period of two months, and the number of cases
notified therefore does not correspond, even approximately, with
the number of cases occurring. It is the practice, however, for the
Council's Health Visiting or Inspectorial staff to visit all cases
coming to their knowledge, and thus comparatively few cases pass
unrecorded.
In 1938, there were 2,188 cases of Measles notified, and 489
additional cases reported from schools and other sources, making
a total of 2,677 cases, being 18.9 per 1,000 of the population;
11 deaths from the disease were recorded, or 0.08 per 1,000 of the
population.
The corresponding figures for 1937 were: cases 632, incidence
per 1,000 population 4.4, deaths 3.
Of the 2,677 cases, 405 were removed to hospital.
The Health Visitors paid 3,794 visits to the cases notified,
reported or suspected.
The table below gives particulars in two-yearly periods of the
biennial epidemics of measles which have occurred since 1921.
Incidence and Mortality of Measles in Epidemic Periods, 1921-1938.
| Period. | Cases. | Deaths. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notified or reported. | Per 1,000 population. | No. | Per 1,000 population. | Per 100 cases. | ||
| Under 10. | All ages. | |||||
| 1921-2 | 3,209 | 9.483 | 68 | 1 .13 | .201 | 2.12 |
| 1923-4 | 4,111 | 12.035 | 75 | 1.28 | .220 | 1.82 |
| 1925-6 | 4,997 | 14.526 | 47 | .87 | .137 | 0.94 |
| 1927-8 | 4,197 | 12.600 | 37 | .70 | .111 | 0.88 |
| 1929-30 | 3,921 | 12.158 | 43 | .83 | .133 | 1.10 |
| 1931-2 | 3,002 | 9.476 | 25 | .51 | .079 | 0.83 |
| 1933-4 | 4,219 | 13.839 | 33 | .72 | .108 | 0.78 |
| 1935-6 | 2,702 | 9.200 | 23 | .54 | .078 | 0.85 |
| 1937-8 | 3,309 | 11.602 | 14 | .33 | .049 | 0.42 |
Although the incidence of the disease in this epidemic is higher
than in the previous one, it is lower than the average for the previous
epidemics from 1921-1936 inclusive. Close co-operation with the
school staff of the London County Council was maintained. A
co-ordinated scheme, involving the earliest possible visiting of the
home, effective isolation as far as practicable, and removal to
hospital, was again put into effect; 15.6 per cent. of the cases
notified or reported were removed to hospital.