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This is the lowest number of cases ever notified in one year
in the Borough.
In the statistical supplement will be found a chart showing
the number of new cases notified during the past 20 years.
Although the figures for this year show such an improvement
it must be borne in mind that tuberculosis still remains a serious
menace to public health and is affecting the age groups which are
of the utmost value to the productive ability of the nation, and
despite the fact that high priority is given by the housing authorities
in re-housing tuberculous persons, the housing shortage
still results in inevitable difficulty in obtaining satisfactory
homes at the right rent for the tuberculous and their families.
The number of deaths from tuberculosis was 16 as compared
with 21 in the previous year.
As in the case of notifications this is the lowest figure
every recorded in the Borough. Modern treatment is reducing the
disease almost to controllable proportions and further reductions
in incidence and fatalities seem probable.
Poliomyelitis
I regret to have to report a considerable increase in the number
of cases of this disease over the previous year.
There were 35 confirmed cases and of these 17 were of the paralytic
type and the remainder non-paralytic. I am, however, pleased
to state that none of the cases proved fatal.
Most of the cases were treated in the first instance at the
western Hospital, seagrave Road, s.W. 6., and I should like to express my
appreciation to the hospital staff for their co-operation with the
Health Department in local control.
Of the 17 paralytic cases, 7 were transferred to Queen Mary's
Hospital, carshalton, and 2 to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital,
Stanmore, for further treatment.
It is interesting to note that there was never more than one
case either in a family or a house, although in two cases it transpired
that a relative of the patient, either a brother or sister,
had had the disease five or six years ago.
Cases were fairly widespread in the area north of King street
and south of Wormwood scrubs, but no cases were reported either to
the south or north of these boundaries.
The ages covered a range from 5 months to 31 years, with the majority
of paralytic cases in the early school age groups between 4 and
10 years, and the majority of non-paralytic cases between 4 and 15
years.
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