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II. PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES
WEATHER CONDITIONS
January was a dry and very cold month, whilst February was wet but milder than
usual. March also was rather mild, April being the dullest for 46 years with snow in
London in the middle of the month. May saw the sunniest Whitsuntide for eighteen years,
but overall the month was changeable with thunderstorms and ground frost. Sunshine in
June was less than average, and rainfall was 50 per cent higher.
July was dull and cool. It was the coldest 1st August at Kew since 1917, the month
generally being cool with heavy rain at times. September was dry with average sunshine,
followed by a dull and wet October. A dry, cold November was fog free, the year terminating
with a mild December and the sunniest Christmas Day this century.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES - NOTIFICATIONS
The number of notified cases of infectious disease, corrected for revised diagnosis
and duplicate notifications, was 2,267, compared with 2,981 during the previous year.
Liaison is maintained with general practitioners and hospitals in the area by a
monthly bulletin which is circulated giving them information on the number of infectious
diseases occurring in the borough during the month, the number of new claims for sickness
benefit received at local offices of the Ministry of Social Security in the area, and
other relevant information from time to time.
A summary of notifications of infectious diseases received during the year will be
found on page 99 and a list of diseases notifiable in the borough on page 98.
ANTHRAX
No case of anthrax was reported during the year.
CANCER
Deaths from cancer this year numbered 481 of which 157 were due to cancer of the
lung. The death rate of lung cancer was 0.77 per 1,000 population,an increase of 7%
over last year.
In a circular issued during the year the Minister of Health pointed out that in the
country generally deaths from lung cancer continue to rise, increasing since 1961 by an
average of 1,000 per annum. Deaths in Great Britain in 1963 were over 29,000 i.e. about
80 a day. Research studies provide ever increasing evidence of the connection between
15.