View report page

INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
1. —Notifiable Diseases.
Under the Compulsory Notification Clauses of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, and the Orders and Regulations
made thereunder, 3,409 cases of infectious diseases (excluding tuberculosis)
were reported, including small pox 1, cerebro-spinal fever
13, polimyelitis acuta 7, ophthalmia neonatorum 82, measles 979,
and German measles 200. These 3,409 cases occurred in 3,061 infected
houses, and of the 3,409 cases 1,542, i.e., 45.2 per cent., were removed
to hospital, and 1,867, i.e., 54.8 per cent., remained under
treatment in their homes. If the recently-added notifiable diseases
be excluded so as to make the 1919 figures strictly comparable with
those for previous years, the percentage of cases removed to hospital
during 1919 was 76.3, as compared with 82.8, 82.8, 67.9, 54.7 and
31.5 for the five quinquennia 1911.15, 1906-10, 1901-5, 1896-1900
and 1891-5, respectively, i.e., since the compulsory notification of
infectious diseases came into force under the Public Health (London)
Act, 1891 —a satisfactory record, having regard to the shortage of
beds available at the M.A.B. Hospitals, off and on, during 1919.
Full particulars of all the compulsorily notifiable infectious
diseases are to be found in tabular form.
Nursing in connection with Measles, German Measles, Whooping
Cough, Ophthalmia Neonatorum and Epidemic Diarrhœa cases.
The arrangements which were made by the Council with the
South London District Nursing Association and the Ranyard
Nurses for the nursing, free of cost, of patients notified or otherwise
known to be suffering from Measles and German Measles, Whooping
Cough, Opthalmia Neonatorum and Epidemic Diarrhœa if (and as)
required by the Medical Officer of Health, and which came into
force on June 1st, 1918, in connection with the Inner Wards of the
Borough, proved so successful that similar arrangements were
made with the Camberwell and Brixton Nursing Associations in
connection the Outer Wards of the Borough, the list of the diseases