London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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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 1964
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND THEIR CONTROL
The following table indicates the number of cases of infectious
diseases notified during 1964 the number admitted to hospital and
the number of deaths which occurred.
TABLE V
| Disease. | Numbers Notified. | Admitted to Hospital. | Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet fever | 35 | — | — |
| Acute pneumonia | 1 | — | — |
| Measles | 641 | — | — |
| Whooping cough | 38 | — | — |
| Erysipelas | 4 | 1 | — |
| Dysentery | 14 | — | — |
| Food poisoning | 4 | — | — |
| Acute poliomyelitis | — | — | — |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 1 | — | - |
| Diphtheria | — | — | - |
| Paratyphoid B | 2 | 2 | - |
| Acute encephalitis | — | — | - |
| Meningococcal infection | — | — | - |
A further analysis of these cases by ages, wards and the
months during which they occurred is given in Tables XIII and
XIV (see pages 23 and 24) and the number of cases of infectious
disease notified since 1934 is given in Table XV (see page 25).
It will be seen that tuberculosis is omitted from this list of
infectious diseases, as it is dealt with separately later.
SCARLET FEVER
There were 35 cases of scarlet fever, five more than the number
that occurred in 1963.
This disease is difficult to control and it is fortunate that in
recent years it has become a very much milder disease than it used
to be.
ACUTE PNEUMONIA
During the year 1 case occurred.
MEASLES
1964 was again an epidemic year for measles: 641 cases
occurred compared with 859 in 1963 which was also an epidemic
year.
Immunisation is still not available against this disease although
work is progressing on a vaccine and it remains one of the commonest
diseases of childhood.
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