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5
SECTION B
PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Infectious Diseases.
1,117 cases of infectious diseases were notified during the
year, 140 cases were removed to hospital, and of this number 29
were notified on discharge as not having suffered from the disease
originally notified. As a result the corrected number of cases of
notifiable infectious diseases for the year was 1,088.
These figures show a decrease on the previous year of 1,083
cases. This is due to the fact that there were very few cases of
Measles until the latter part of the year and a decrease in the
number of cases of Whooping Cough and Puerperal Pyrexia.
There were only three cases of suspected Diphtheria brought
to the notice of the Department during the year, and I am pleased
to be able to report that none of them was confirmed.
Contacts and Carriers of Infectious Disease—Sickness Benefit
One certificate was issued during the year in the following
circumstances:—
A pupil midwife at a Maternity Hospital who was a carrier
of a streptococcal infection.
Tuberculosis.
During the year there was, once again, a decrease in the
incidence of this disease.
The number of new cases notified was 128, compared with
142 in the previous year. These figures show a decrease of 3 in
pulmonary cases and 11 in non-pulmonary cases.
At no time, since records have been kept, has such a low
figure as this been recorded.
In the Statistical Supplement will be found a chart showing
the numbers of new cases notified during the past 20 years.
Despite the low number of new notifications. Tuberculosis
remains a serious menace to public health and chiefly affects the
age groups which are vital to the productive output of the nation,
and despite the fact that high priority is given by the housing
authorities in rehousing tuberculous persons, the housing shortage
still precludes many from obtaining satisfactory homes.
The London County Council proceeded with the campaign for
B.C.G. inoculations among schoolchildren and a total of 2,545
received these inoculations during the year.
The number of deaths from tuberculosis was 15, compared
with 9 in the previous year.