View report page

4
Food hygiene
The notified cases of food poisoning during the year amounted to
32, almost the same figure as the previous year, but this figure is not
exact since many cases no doubt do not come to our notice. Throughout
the year the food inspectors continued to give advice to occupiers of
food shops with regard to general hygiene and pest control. The
contemplated Food and Drugs Act will revise the provisions for
protecting the public against the sale of food containing injurious
ingredients and against the misdescription of food and drugs in labels
and advertisements. The Act also aims to provide fuller powers by way
of regulations to secure that food is not contaminated in the course of
preparation, distribution and sale. During the year the Council revised
the establishment of sanitary inspectors, as a result of which two more
food inspectors were appointed from among the district inspectors.
The total establishment was cut from 21 to 20, there being now no
woman inspector. The new establishment of six food inspectors will
enable more time to be devoted to food hygiene, supervision of shops,
and food education of the public.
Infectious disease other than tuberculosis
With regard to the more acute infections the year again showed a
high number of measles cases, but the 2,082 cases fell far below the
record figure of 3,546 in 1951. Only one death resulted. Dysentery
cases, which had troubled us considerably in 1951 and had dropped
from 365 in that year to 169 in 1952 declined still further to 84 last year.
There were 52 cases of poliomyelitis, the highest since the record number
of 72 in 1947. This disease is dealt with in some detail in the body of
the report. The continued high number of cases of puerperal pyrexia
notified can be explained by the more comprehensive definition of the
term now in force. Scabies again touched a new low record (5 cases
only) from its wartime high, and whooping cough had a prevalence
about the same as in the previous year. One case of diphtheria was
confirmed, the first since 1949, and I would call attention to the fact
that this rarity emphasises rather than minimises the necessity for
the protection of young children against the disease by immunisation.
Unless the child population remains well immunised there is considerable
danger of virulent diphtheria again becoming prevalent.
Old people
There is again relatively little to report on extensions of aid and
service given to old people in the borough and this rather indicates that
the committee's efforts to help clubs get going and to help maintain
them in existence has not been fully successful. Nevertheless the
Lewisham Old People's Welfare Association during the year further
developed its housing branch, which although a function to which the
borough council cannot contribute directly is one which has the health
committee's full support.