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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
Coulsdon and Purley 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
The following table indicates the number of cases of infectious disease notified during 1953, the number thought to have been treated in hospital, and the number of deaths which occurred.
| Disease. | Numbers Notified. | Treated in Hospital. | Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | — | — | — |
| Scarlet fever | 118 | 33 | — |
| Erysipelas | 3 | 1 | — |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 3 | 3 | — |
| Pneumonia — primary | 44 | 11 | 93* |
| Typhoid fever | — | — | — |
| Paratyphoid fever | — | — | — |
| Dysentery | 13 | 11 | — |
| Poliomyelitis | 9 | 9 | — |
| Measles | 1319 | 9 | 1 |
| Whooping cough | 66 | 2 | — |
| Food poisoning | 2 | 1 | — |
| Totals | 1577 | 80 | 94 |
* Deaths from all forms of pneumonia including mental hospital cases.
A further analysis of these cases by age, wards and the
months during which they occurred is given in Tables I and II in
the Appendix, while a full statement of the cases of infectious
disease notified since 1923 is presented in Table III in the
Appendix.
It will be seen that measles was overwhelmingly the commonest
notifiable infectious disease. Scarlet fever and pneumonia
were slightly more prevalent than in the previous year, but fewer
cases of whooping cough and dysentery occurred.
Excluding measles and whooping cough which were not
notifiable between the two Wars, and the hospital cases of dysentery,
the incidence of the remaining acute notifiable infectious
diseases was slightly less than 2.8 per 1,000 population, which is
rather higher than the post-war average of 2.3.
SMALLPOX.
No case of this disease occurred in the District during the
year but on at least two occasions individuals who had been in
contact with cases overseas had to be supervised.
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