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43
Whooping Cough.
Whooping cough was first made notifiable in the Borough in 1914 for a period
of five years, which was extended for a further period of five years from the 1st July,
1919. Visits were paid to 173 persons suffering from the disease during the year;
these cases occurred in 123 families.
In 86 families one case occurred; 25 families had two cases; 11 had three; in
one family four suffered.
Twenty-six of the cases were discovered by the Health Visitors and three by
the Medical Officer of Health; 107 were children under five years of age, and 63 were
aged 5 to 14 years.
Sixteen children were removed to hospitals (six to the M.A.B. Hospital, eight to
Holborn Poor Law Infirmary); 18 more would have been removed to a M.A.B.
Hospital had accommodation been available.
In 61 instances the source of infection was apparently a sufferer in another
household. Even if it be granted that the disease is difficult to diagnose until the
whoop appears, in a large proportion of these instances the contact occurred after
the child had whooped and at a time when the diagnosis was obvious; the extent of
the disease would therefore have been lessened had the infecting children been
removed to hospital shortly after diagnosis. Housing conditions in Central London
make it difficult for parents to keep sufferers away from other children for so long a
time as six weeks from the commencement of the illness, the period of isolation
necessary to prevent its spread.
Epidemic Diarrhœa.
This disease is notifiable in only a few districts in London, and is not notifiable
in Holborn.
The number of deaths of young children under two years of age classified under
the head, Diarrhœa and Enteritis, was eight, and included seven under one year.
Some of these, however, were not real cases of epidemic diarrhoea, although classified
under this head. The deaths were equal to a rate of 12.2 per 1,000 in comparison with
21.3 for all London.
All practicable methods are adopted to diminish mortality and permanent
injury to health caused by this disease.
A special leaflet was printed on the prevention of summer diarrhoea, emphasising
the importance of young babies being kept in the cooler part of the house or in the
shade out of doors, and of keeping them lightly clad, also drawing attention to the
necessity of cleanliness and the danger of spreading disease by flies.