View report page

48
The Public Health (Ophthalmia Neonatorum) Regulations
1926, made by the Ministry of Health, came into force on the
1st October. The new Regulations revoked the previous Regulations
of 1914, but re-enacted the principal provisions thereof.
The chief alteration made by the new Regulations was to remove
from the midwife the obligation of notifying a case upon which
she was in attendance.
The Council were required to notify all Medical Practitioners
practising in the Borough, of the provisions of the new Regulations,
and in the accompanying circular, the Ministry made various
suggestions as to preventive measures to be taken. The suggestions
of the Ministry have been anticipated in the routine steps
already taken in the Borough to deal with cases of this disease.
Erysipelas.
There were 72 cases of Erysipelas notified and 2 deaths were
recorded from the disease during 1926 in Battersea. The casemortality
was 2.78 per cent. and the death-rate per 1,000 population
was 0.012.
Measles.
Measles, which had become very prevalent in the last quarter
of 1925, had early in 1926 assumed the proportions of a characteristic
epidemic, and 4,206 cases were notified or otherwise reported to
the Medical Officer of Health. The incidence of the disease as
measured by these notified and reported cases were equivalent to
a rate of 156 cases in every 1,000 of the population under 10 years
of age.
In 1925 there were 794 cases notified or otherwise reported,
the great majority occurring in the last quarter of the year.
Of the 4,206 cases notified or reported from the Schools or
other sources, 3,363 were notified under the Regulations—the
Battersea (Measles and Whooping-Cough) Regulations, 1922.
These Regulations were made by the Minister of Health on the
application of the Council and are dated 8th April, 1922, and came
into operation on 24th April, 1922. The obligation of notification
under the Regulations is restricted to the first case occurring in a
house. In addition to the notified cases 843 were reported from the
Public Elementary Schools and other sources.
The deaths caused by Measles during 1926 numbered 43,
giving a total mortality-rate at all ages of 0.25 as compared with
4 deaths and a death-rate of 0.023 in 1925 and 51 deaths and a
death-rate of 0.30 in 1924.
Notwithstanding the high incidence of the disease in Battersea
during 1926 the death-rate was, as compared with previous outbreaks,
relatively low. During the past 25 years outbreaks of this