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Infective Diseases
15
Analysis of Infectious Disease in the Last 49 Years.
Tables VII and VIII have been drawn up to show the trend
of infectious disease in consecutive periods since the Borough was
constituted in 1900. Five periods are taken to show the comparison,
viz., three inter-census periods, each of ten years, from 1901
to 1931, the date of the last Census; the eight-year period from
1931 to 1938 and the five-year period from 1945 to 1949. The
mean population of each period has been taken in calculating the
case rates and death-rates, which are shown as annual rates per
100,000 of population. The five years 1939 to 1944 inclusive are
excluded from the survey as no accurate figures for the war years
are available owing to the evacuation of children during that period.
Table VII shows the number of cases and deaths, case-rates
and death-rates in each period reviewed for scarlet fever, diphtheria
and enteric fever, diseases which have been notifiable continuously
throughout the 49 years.
Table VIII gives similar information for measles, whooping
cough and tuberculosis, diseases which have not been notifiable
continuously throughout the whole period under review. The
number of deaths and death-rates from these three diseases are
correct as they are based on the cause of death as certified, but
the same reliance cannot be placed on the number of cases and
case-rates as the full information as to the number of cases was
not always available.
It will be seen from Table VII that in 1901 1910 there were
186 deaths from scarlet fever, while in 1945/1949 there were none;
that the number of deaths from diphtheria had been reduced from
409 in the earlier period to five in 1945/1949, and the deaths from
enteric fever from 132 to nil.
There has been a large reduction in the number of cases of
these three diseases, the reduction being most marked for diphtheria
in recent years.
Table VIII shows the extent to which the number of deaths
and the death-rates from measles and whooping cough has fallen
in the 49 years under review.
The death-rate from tuberculosis has been reduced by about a
half in the same period.