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19
SMALL POX.
There was no notification of small pox in the Borough during the year.
There was a small outbreak of small-pox, principally confined to the Eastend
of London of 70 cases, 28 of which occurred at the Mile End Infirmary. Of
the 70 cases 17 were children under 10 years of age, only three of whom had
been vaccinated. The three vaccinated all recovered. Of the 14 unvaccinated
eight died, a death rate of 57.1 per cent. This outbreak, in accordance with
all experience of epidemic small-pox, shows the great advantage of vaccination
and revaccination.
CHICKEN POX.
On account of the above outbreak of small-pox, chicken-pox was notifiable
for three months from the 22nd March, 1911, during which period 101 notifications
were received. There was an outbreak of chicken-pox at the St. Giles'
Workhouse, at which nine cases occurred.
SCARLET FEVER.
Excluding duplicates, the number of notifications of scarlet fever was 120 in
comparison with only 68 in the year 1910. Of these 80 belonged to St. Giles
and Bloomsbury and 40 to the Holborn District. In the St. Giles District all the
cases were removed to hospital, and in the Holborn District all but one. The
number of notifications was equal to 2.45 per 1,000 in comparison with 233 for
London. The average for the preceding decennium in the Borough was 2.73
per 1.000.
There was rather a large outbreak, especially in the St. Giles and Bloomsbury
District, during the months of June and July, when 53 of the 120 cases were
notified. In this division of the Borough for a number of years there had been
but little scarlet fever. There was therefore a large number of unprotected
children. For instance in one of the streets, Betterton Street, which has a large
number of children, 16 cases were notified, while in the preceding six years the
total was only six cases.
Two of the "return" cases were not only the probable source of two other
cases in the respective houses in which they resided, but they both attended the
St. Giles, Endell Street School, at which there were 16 cases before the summer
holidays.
Errors in Diagnosis.
During the year only seven cases were returned as not suffering from scarlet
fever, or only 5.8 per cent. of the notifications.
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