View report page

T he association of these effects with diphtheria immunisation is, of course,
inferential. Much more definite and even more important is the solid achievement
that, in persons attacked by diphtheria, those who have previously received
inoculations experience a very much reduced mortality risk. Records kept by the
Ministry of Health have shown that the death-rate among the unimmunised is thirty
times as great as among the immunised.
Diarrhoea and
enteritis
The mortality from diarrhoea and enteritis under two years of age (269 deaths) 1
amounted to 4.08 per thousand live births, compared with 6.98 in the previous year.
This represents an improvement on the low level of mortality attained in 1940-41.
The following diagram shows the trend of mortality in London and England and
Wales in recent years. Ten years ago the London rate was twice as great as the
national rate.
It now appears that the difference between the London rate and the average
for the country as a whole is negligible.
Notifications of fevers of the enteric group (61) were not significantly more Enteric
numerous than in 1945 (45). There were only 5 deaths, representing a mortality-rate fevers
of 0-0016 per thousand—one hundredth of the rate experienced fifty years ago.
There were 371 deaths (0-12 per thousand) from influenza during the year, influent
During recent years the deaths have been:—
Year Influenza deaths
1940 569
1941 397
1942 198
1043 720
1944 206
1945 171
1946 371
There has so far been no major outbreak of influenza since 1937.
Measles became notifiable in London in 1938. For control purposes the results Measles
were immediate, but , before any records of epidemiological value could be accumulated,
the normal biennial rhythm of attack was disturbed by the evacuation movements of
1939 and subsequent war years. It will be seen from table 13 that periodical
o