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Scarlet Fever.—Notifications respecting 281 persons
were received during the year, representing an attack rate
of 54 per thousand of the population, being an increase of
1'9 upon the previous year. This is the greatest number of
cases that have occurred in any year since 1893 when 294
were notified, and the attack rate was 10'5 per thousand of
the population.
The average attack and death rates for the past three
quinquennial periods are as follows:—
Attack Death
Rate. Rate.
1891—1895 4.8 .02 per thousand of the population.
1896—1900 3.3 .04
1901—1905 2.3 .02
The increase during the past year is not attributable to
any particular cause of infection, the cases being fairly well
distributed throughout the southern portion of the Borough
where the density of the population is greatest, and as in
the year 1905 the prevalence of Scarlet Fever was not merely
confined to Wimbledon, the Borough suffering in common
with the Metropolitan area and adjoining Counties.
The type of the disease generally continues to be of
a mild character, and for this reason there is increased
difficulty in keeping it in check. Cases undoubtedly occur
which are so extremely mild in character that they are
either not recognised at all or not until the peeling stage is
reached.
The incidence of the disease was greatest in the first
and last four months of the year as shown by the chart, there
being 111 cases notified from the beginning of January to
the end of April, 57 between May and August, and 113 from
September to the end of the year.
The rather abnormal number of cases in the first four
months was really a continuance of the Autumn Scarlet
Fever period of 1906. An increase in the prevalence of the
disease may generally be expected at this season of the
year, and it was found necessary to use the reserve Iron
Hospital which was kept in use until the end of June of
this year.
The number of cases having, however, again gradually
increased towards the Autumn, the Hospital was, in
October, once more brought into use, together with the
Enteric Fever Pavilion, the district, fortunately, being free
from this latter disease at the time.
The accommodation from time to time proved
inadequate, and on several occasions it was necessary to
delay the removal of patients for a few days until discharges
from the Isolation Hospital took place, when they were
admitted in turn or according to the means of isolation at
the patients' homes and other circumstances.
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