View report page

-2-
Town Hall,
Kensington, W.8.
25th June, 1943.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Royal Borough of Kensington.
I have the honour to submit my annual report on the
state of the public health in Kensington in 1942.
The statistics for the present year indicate that
public health work in the borough has, to a large extent,
returned to its peace-time volume, and health standards are
being maintained at a satisfactory level notwithstanding
various difficulties.
There was no large outbreak of infectious disease
during the year and the number of cases of endemic notifiable
illnesses was less than in the previous year. The number of
oases of tuberculosis notified was smaller and the death rate
from this disease showed a substantial decline.
The general death rate decreased from 17.1 to 16.0
but the death rate from zymotic infectious diseases increased
from 0.15 to 0.37, owing to the increased number of deaths
from enteritis. The number of births (1,487) and the birth
rate (15.0) showed increases in comparison with the figures
for 1941, (1,239 and 12.7). The maternity and child welfare
services were in full operation throughout the year; but there
was a slight increase in the infant mortality rate.
Two war-time day nurseries (Ladbroke arid Kensal House)
were opened during the year, one accommodating 45 children and
the other 65 children. In addition, two more nurseries for
115 children were being erected. The Ladbroke Nursery was
opened by H.R.H. the Princess Royal, and the Right Honourable
Ernest Brown, the Minister of Health, was present at the
ceremony; the Kensal House Nursery was opened by Lady Louis
Mountbatten.
Special measures have been taken to control and
prevent scabies and verminous conditions which, since the outbreak
of war, have increased; additional baths have been made
available for the treatment of scabies, and extra staff have
been employed. The Scabies Order, 1941, has been fully
operated; as far as practicable all contacts have been medically
examined and, if necessary, treated by the Council's staff or
by private doctors. In addition to 2,305 Kensington cases,
1,524 cases from adjoining boroughs were treated at the
Medicinal Baths (Personal Cleansing Station), The total number
of treatments given during the year was 12,695.
Efforts to secure the immunisation against diphtheria
of every child in the borough have been intensified, and the
number of children immunised during the year was 2,363.
The work of repairing war damaged houses continued to
be carried out jointly by the Borough Engineer's Department and