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6
Infant Mortality.
The total number of deaths of infants under one year of age
was 33, the causes of death being as follows:
Meningococcal Infections 1
Pneumonia 2
Bronchitis 1
Congenital malformations 4
Other defined and ill-defined diseases 23
All accidents, other than by motor vehiole 2
Total deaths under 1 year of age 33
Maternal Mortality.
Three maternal deaths were recorded during the year.
Infectious Diseases
The final figures of corrected diagnoses of Infectious
Diseases in the Borough during 1951 were one thousand more
than for 1950; the latter, however, was a very low total.
Nearly all of these additional cases were Measles, so that
generally speaking the position may be regarded as
satisfactory.
Substantial decreases will be noted in Poliomyelitis, Food
Poisoning, Whooping Cough, Enteritis and Tuberculosis,
whilst there was practically no change in Scarlet Fever, and
only one confirmed case of Diphtheria.
There were considerably more deaths from Influenza and
Pneumonia than in 1950, although these were mostly in the
over-45 age groups. Deaths from Tuberculosis, however, were
appreciably fewer, and only one death occurred from all other
notifiable infectious diseases, that of an infant suffering from
meningococcal infection.
DYSENTERY AND FOOD POISONING
Unfortunately there was a particularly heavy increase in
Dysentery during the year both in Southwark and throughout
the country as a whole. Careful investigations were made in
each instance and although there was no tangible evidence as
to the cause of the infection, it was found that of the 191
confirmed cases, 17 occurred amongst children in L.C.C. day
nurseries, four were nursery staff, and six were parents or
other family contacts of the affected nursery children.