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74
Incidence of
infectious
diseases.
The year 1934 was one of exceptionally high incidence of infectious disease.
The total number of cases admitted to the Council's infectious hospitals during the
year was 53,413, the highest on record, the previous highest having been 49,217 in
1933. The number of infectious patients under treatment at any one time rose to
7,621 on 4th April.
At the beginning of the year the number of cases of scarlet fever under treatment
was higher than at the beginning of any year since 1922. The number of
patients admitted suffering from this disease, though lower than during 1933,
remained generally throughout the year higher than for some years past. The
number of cases of diphtheria admitted during 1934 was also higher than in any
year since 1930.
The usual biennial epidemic of measles commenced at the end of 1933, and its
progress followed the normal course of such epidemics, the number of cases admitted
being, however, much higher than in previous years. The number under
treatment reached 3,696 on 11th April, 1934, compared with 2,767 on 10th April,
1932, the previous highest number. In March the average number of cases of
measles admitted each day was 115 for the first two weeks, and 120 for the latter
two weeks, compared with the previous highest average, for fortnightly periods,
of 99.
When the pressure on the accommodation for measles became acute, in order
to ensure that the accommodation available for infectious cases was utilised to the
best advantage for those patients most needing it, arrangements were made for the
admission of scarlet fever patients to be limited to those cases in which hospital
treatment was, in the opinion of the borough medical officer of health concerned,
required, owing to the severity of the case or to the home conditions, or both.
Joyce Green hospital was in use for fever throughout the year, and the Orchard
hospital from 13th February to 12th July, 1934. The Lower Southern hospital
was in occupation for infectious cases until 18th Mav, 1934.
Isolation
accomodation.
The annual reports for 1932 and 1933 contained accounts by the medical superintendent
of the North-Western hospital (Dr. Joe) of the work done in the isolation
chamber unit at that hospital, the account in the report for 1933 also dealing with
the work of the " bed isolation " unit. The following is a further report by him
on the subject:—
During the year, 464 cases were admitted to the chamber isolation unit. This number
exceeds the admissions for 1933 by 58, and the strain on this type of accommodation during the
early part of the year, owing to the measles epidemic, was very great. The cases were classified
as follows:—
Scarlet fever 51
Scarlet fever and diphtheria 12
Scarlet fever and measles 21
Scarlet fever and erysipelas
Scarlet fever and chickenpox 15
Scarlet fever and whooping-cough 1
Scarlet fever and rubella 1
Scarlet fever and mumps 4
Scarlet fever, diphtheria and tuberculous
meningitis 1
Scarlet fever, diphtheria and measles 2
Diphtheria 42
Diphtheria and chickenpox 7
Diphtheria and whooping-cough 2
Diphtheria and mumps 1
Diphtheria and measles 15
Diphtheria and rubella 1
Diphtheria, measles and whooping-cough 1
Measles 68
Measles and whooping-cough 21
Measles and mumps 1
Measles and chickenpox 10
Chickenpox 12
Chickenpox and mumps 2
Chickenpox and whooping-cough 1
Whooping-cough 28
Mumps 9
Mumps, diphtheria and measles 1
Paratyphoid B and measles 1
Rubella and whooping-cough 2
Meningococcal meningitis and mumps 1
Local uterine sepsis 1
Local uterine sepsis and scarlet fever 1
Whooping-cough, chickenpox and measles 1
Rubella 24
Non-infectious disease 102
Total 464
Of the 48 cases of chickenpox and 142 of measles, either singly or in combination with other
diseases, 38 of the former and 123 of the latter were admitted during the first week of the disease
and during the maximum period of infectivity. Cross infection occurred in 5 instances, a cross
infection rate of 1.07 per cent., 4 cases being infected with measles, and 1 with chickenpox. All
took place within a period of almost exactly two months from the middle of March to the middle