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Evacuation of the majority of the child population during the
war interrupted the customary biennial fluctuation in the incidence
of measles which was due, according to Brinker, to the rise and fall
in the number of susceptibles. It appears that this ' rhythm ' has
now begun to re-assert itself.
Prior to 1st January, 1916, measles had been voluntarily notifiable
by parents, guardians, school teachers and others but from this
date it became compulsorily notifiable in this Borough under an
Order of the Local Government Board. The Order lapsed for 6
months after 1919 but permanent compulsory notification was revived
by an Order in Council effective from 1st July, 1920. The
necessity for this became clear during the 6 months when obligatory
notification lapsed, as during this period large numbers of cases of
measles occurred resulting in 25 deaths.
Since this time deaths from measles have steadily declined and
no deaths have been recorded since 1947, when there was one.
Whooping Cough.—Altogether there were 312 notifications
received, of which 3 were not confirmed. The corrected total of 309
compares with 194 for the previous year and 385 for 1948. Of these
309 cases, 121 occurred in East Greenwich ; 22 in West Greenwich ;
21 in St. Nicholas, Deptford ; and 145 in Charlton and Kidbrooke.
Thirty-one cases were under one year of age ; 158 between 1 and 5
years ; and 114 between the ages of 5 and 15.
Sixteen cases were removed to Hospital.
There was one fatality.
Whooping Cough first became notifiable for a period of five
years from 1st June, 1912, in conformity with an Order made with
the consent of the Local Government Board under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891. Two extensions, each of two years, became
necessary before the disease was made permanently notifiable by a
Ministry Order with effect from 1st November, 1921, since when,
deaths attributable to Whooping Cough have gradually declined to
this year's low level of one.
Diphtheria.—The only case confirmed out of five notifications
received in respect of this disease made a complete recovery. This
final total of one is the lowest figure ever recorded and is a complete
vindication of the immunisation programme carried out in the
Borough under the jurisdiction of the Council's Health Department
since 1936. (Since July, 1948, however, immunisation has been the
responsibility of the London County Council under the National
Health Service Act, 1946).