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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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The following table sets out a record of the number of premature infants who were notified during 1946:—
| No. of premature babies | Born | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| At Home | In Hospital | Total | |
| Notified | 39 | 96 | 135 |
| Nursed entirely at home | 28 | – | 28 |
| Died during first 24 hours | 2 | 15 | 17 |
| Survived at the end of one month | 31 | 58 | 89 |
Infectious Diseases. The following table shows the number of cases notified during 1946:—
| Diphtheria | 29 | (62) |
| Erysipelas | 37 | (46) |
| Scarlet Fever | 228 | (170) |
| Enteric Fever | – | (2) |
| Puerperal fever | 3 | (3) |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 11 | (10) |
| Meningococcal meningitis | 15 | (9) |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 17 | (20) |
| Polio-myelitis, etc. | 3 | (1) |
| Encephalitis lethargica | – | (-) |
| Malaria | 10 | (3) |
| Dysentery | 11 | (14) |
| Pneumonia (Acute influenzal) | 31 | (25) |
| (Acute primary) | 78 | (132) |
| Whooping Cough | 341 | (413) |
| Measles | 1,096 | (919) |
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 228 | (197) |
| Scabies | 5351 | (7l2)* |
| 2,673 | (2,738) |
[For the purposes of comparison, the average number of cases
notified annually in the five years, 1941-45, is inserted in brackets.]
*Scabies became notifiable on 1st August, 1943; equivalent annual rate.
Compared with the figures for the previous year there was a
large increase in the number of cases of meningococcal meningitis,
whooping cough and scarlet fever, whilst there was a considerable
decrease in the number of cases of measles.
It is interesting to note that the case rate for diphtheria—viz.,
0.27 per 1,000 population—is the lowest recorded.
Schick Clinic. —Diphtheria immunisation was continued at
Southlands, and, in addition, immunisation was also carried out at
St. George's Hall Welfare Centre where 51 children received the full
dosage and 9 received one injection only.
The clinics were attended by 2,254 patients (1,431 new; 409
old; 414 who had been inoculated elsewhere) and the total attendances
numbered 5,825.
The increase in the proportion of children known to have been
immunised has been slow and shows that much work still remains
to be done before mass-immunity of the population is assured. The
estimated figures are as follows:—
Age Group.
Immunised.
Population.
8,820
0—5
2,737
5—15
7,737
13,800