London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Greenwich 1971

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]

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104
be at its highest incidence in the 20/24 years age group although
increases are registered in all groups under 25 years. Notwithstanding that the rate for the congenital type has increased by
12.8% over the previous year, that for syphilis as a whole has
risen only slightly. In males the rate was 5.67 and in females
1.42 giving a combined rate of 3.48 per 100,000 population compared with 3.42 for 1970, the marginal increase being among
females. In the current year, the male/female ratio was 3.8:1
whereas that for last year was 4.8: 1, but this is somewhat misleading in that if homosexually acquired infections are omitted
the present ratio reduces to 2.4: 1. Evidence of a slight rise in
congenital syphilis is sufficient reason for the continuation of the
practice of blood testing pregnant women.
In an era of great demographical change and in a socioeconomic environment where previously closed sexual circles are
being overtly broken, where there is increased and precocious
promiscuity together with an unacceptable level of ignorance of
the effects of venereal disease, it is surprising to find that, statistically, syphilis cases are tending to remain static. Perhaps this
situation can be partly accounted for by the fact that treponema
pallida is extremely sensitive to penicillin and the present widespread use of this antibiotic has undoubtedly resulted in the
cure of many early but undetected cases of syphilis. However,
because of penicillin's immuno-suppressive effects no immunity is
conferred by the attack and re-infection is becoming commonplace.
Despite its susceptibility to treatment, gonorrhoea continues to
give cause for anxiety and its increasing incidence in young
people remains a serious threat to the future health of the nation.
Infections in females under 16 years of age (400) are about three
times those of males and, in the 16/19 age group, female cases
numbered 5,588 compared with a total of 4,393 in males, all
groups showing increases over the 1970 figures. With total new
cases amounting to 55,988, an increase of 4.4% over those for
1970 and the highest ever recorded, it is clear that gonorrhoea
is still uncontrolled. There were 53 cases of gonococcal ophthalmia included in the total, most of which could have been prevented by ante-natal genital tests.
From this year on, separate totals are to be supplied for other
sexually transmitted diseases and previous statistics are therefore
not strictly comparable. We shall need the benefit of several
years' figures before any reliable trends in specific infections can
be detected.
Despite the fact that, at 1,216, the new cases of venereal disease
treated at the Greenwich District Hospital Centre during 1971