View report page

Diphtheria.
There were 586 eases of diphtheria notified in 1923 as against
1,110 cases in 1922.
The attack rate per thousand inhabitants was 4.81, against
9.16 in 1922. The case mortality was 5.6 per cent., against 8.1
per cent, in 1922, and 9.3 per cent, in 1921. 32 cases were
returned as not suffering from this disease.
The case mortality here is low, and would be lower still
were it possible to get the cases sent into hospital a little earlier,
but unfortunately young children do not always complain of their
throats until the disease is fairly advanced.
Small Pox.
There were no cases notified during 1923.
Scarlet Fever.
The notifications of scarlet fever in 1923 were 323, against
652 in 1922.
This is a decrease of 329. The distribution of the disease in
the various Wards, as shown in Table V. of Appendix, was fairly
uniform.
16 cases were returned from hospital as not suffering from
scarlet fever.
There were three deaths, which gives the very low case
mortality of .92 per cent., against 1.7 per cent, in 1922. The
disease, as in recent years, was of a very mild type. The attack
rate per thousand inhabitants was 2.65 against 5.37 in 1922.
The case mortality here is extremely low, for the type during
the last few years has been very mild. It is one of the peculiarities
of scarlet fever that while the prevalence may be very great the
mortality may be very low or vice versa.