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22
was 30 (an increase of 6) and these were attributed to the following
causes:—
Prematurity 12 Acute Meningococcal
Congenital Meningitis 1
Malformations 6 Hypertrophy of Heart
Broncho-pneumonia 5 (idiopathic) 1
Bronchitis 1 Inattention 1
Gastro-enteritis 1 Unascertainable 1
Hepatic Failure 1
Of the above, 19 were male and 11 female ; 5 died in St. Alfege's
Hospital, 3 in Brook Hospital, 2 in Miller Hospital, 14 in other
Hospitals and 4 at home. Of the remaining 2 deaths, one body was
recovered from the river foreshore and one from waste ground in
the Borough.
Significantly perhaps, this substantial increase in infant deaths
during the current year was confined wholly to the neo-natal period,
deaths occurring after the first 4 weeks from birth actually showing
a decline.
Neo-Natal Mortality.—Neo-natal mortality, i.e., infants
dying before attaining the age of one month, accounted for 23
deaths, equivalent to 76.6% of all infant deaths and giving a Neonatal
Mortality Rate of 17.00 per 1,000 live births. Seventeen of
these neo-natal deaths occurred within the first week of birth, the
main cause being Prematurity.
A table showing the causes of and ages at death is included in
the Appendix to the Report.