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102
SECTION F
Prevalence of, and control over, infectious and
other Diseases
During the current year, no new Statutory Instruments were
issued in respect of Infectious Diseases.
However, at various times since 1949 legislation has been introduced
concerning the notification of poliomyelitis, encephalitis,
meningococcal meningitis, puerperal pyrexia, etc., in accordance
with Section 144 of the Public Health Act, 1936. In effect, this has
meant the allocation to Greenwich of notifications in respect of nonresidents
merely as a result of the accidental location of hospitals
in the vicinity. Statistics in connection with these diseases, therefore,
have no specific relevance to the population of the Borough
and, with the uninitiated, could even be misleading. (For example
a situation can and does arise whereby Greenwich may show a death
from poliomyelitis and yet have no notification for the case).
Irrespective of the area of occurrence, births and deaths are
always referred to the area of residence for statistical purposes and
it would be logical if notifications of infectious diseases were similarly
treated.
The total number of Infectious Diseases notified under Section
144 of the Public Health Act, 1936, Section 192 of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1936, and associated Orders and Regulations
was 2,030. Under the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations,
1952, there were 99 notifications, giving a consolidated total of 2,129
cases notified during the year. In 9 of these cases the diagnoses
were not confirmed, thus giving a corrected figure of 2,120. The
following table indicates the figures for the previous nine years:—