London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Pancras 1916

Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1916

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35
year with the exception of 1013. In view of the great variation in measles
incidence from year to year, it is obvious that no definite conclusions on this
point can be drawn from the records of a single year, The results of the
work are set out in a paper in "Maternity and Child Welfare," Vol. 1
(1917), page 7.
Importance is to bo attached not only to the nursing work in connection
with preventing measles mortality, but also to the call paid by the official
visitor to every case, and the sending of a card of advice. Besides their
direct influence, such measures help by fostering the opinion that measles is
a dangerous disease which needs to be seriously dealt with, and thus tending
to prevent its careless handling.
Analysis of Cases.β€”An analysis of the measles (morbilli) cases reported during
the first 6 months of 1916 was carefully made, and the following results were
obtained:β€”
The total number of cases reported as occurring in private houses during
this time, exclusive of cases developed in hospital, military cases, and wrong
diagnoses, and inclusive of cases discovered without notification, was 800.
Of these, 525 were notified by doctors and 143 by parents, 70 were
reported by school teachers, and 62 were otherwise discovered.

The following is a classification of the cases according to age and sex.

0-11-22-33-44-55-66-77-88-1515 & up.Total.
Male34535246526024131716367
Female30536259487438121938433

Thus 480 cases were under school age (0-5), 257 of school age (5-15)
[221 aged 5-8 (infants school age), and 36 aged 8-15 (upper school age)],
and 54 over school age (15 and upwards).

The following is a division of the cases into primary cases (i.e.first cases in houses), and secondary cases(i.e.subsequent cases in the same houses), classified into these age groups:β€”

Under 5.5-1515 & up.Total.
Primary cases27421150535
Secondary cases215464265