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10
DIPHTHERIA IMMUNISATION
During the year, 738 children were immunised for the first
time, 315 of these against diphtheria alone, 343 against diphtheria
and whooping cough, and 80 against whooping cough only. Of
the total of 738, 144 were immunised by private doctors, and 594
at local clinics and schools. During the same time, 808 children
received reinforcing injections, 30 of them from private doctors,
and 778 at schools or clinics. Immunisation against diphtheria
has been carried out regularly in Wood Green since 1929. and the
state of immunisation of the child population must be regarded
as fairly satisfactory.
TUBERCULOSIS
The number of new cases of tuberculosis which came to the
knowledge of the Health Department during the year was 69, 64
pulmonary and 5 non-pulmonary. This figure is rather better than
those for the years 1950 and 1949 which were, respectively, 83
and 95. Of the 69 new cases. 14 were transfers from other districts,
and 55 new notifications.
The Table given above shows that while there has not been
any appreciable fall in the number of new cases of tuberculosis
occurring year by year over the 24 years, there has been a definite
fall in the number of deaths, more especially during the past few
years. This has occurred at a time when admission to hospital
or sanitorium has often been very difficult, and when many patients
have had to wait a long period at home before being admitted.
The fall in the death rate has not been confined to Wood Green,
but has been general throughout the country, and many experts
in tuberculosis have expressed the view that the decreased mortality
is related in part, at least, to the use of the new antibiotic drugs
which have been introduced in recent years. As one effect of the
use of these new drugs is usually to reduce the infectiousness of
the individual patient, their more widespread use should in time
have the result also of reducing the spread of the disease among
the immediate contacts of the infected person. All this, however,
should not make us forget that the first line of attack against the
prevalence and spread of this disease, which remains one of the
most serious problems of a health authority, is the improvement
of the conditions under which people live, the houses in which
they live and sleep, the factories and workshops in which they
work, and the provision of adequate food. With housing conditions
as they are at present, the prevention of the spread of the disease
in infected households is often extremely difficult, and in some
cases, almost, if not quite impossible. In Wood Green, it has been
found possible in spite of the long waiting list of applicants for
houses, for the Housing Committee to give special consideration