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All of the Cases of dysentery, except 1, occurred in 1 or
other of the 2 menta1 institutions in the, District., which
institutions accounted also for 7 cases of enteric, 23 cases of
erysipelas and 22 cases of pneumonia.
When the influence of these factors is removed, i.e. the
effect of the mental hospitals and the inclusion of two diseases
not notifiable curing the inter-war period, it is found that the
position in the District during 1941 compared very favourably
with its predecessors In point of fact, excluding only
dysentery, measles and whooping cough, the number of
notifications per 1,000 population has only once been lower,
namely in 1958
As evidence of the state of the health of the District
during the second complete war year, during the first half of
which the region was subjected to periodical air attack, the
position can be recognised as having been very satisfactory
DIPHTHERIA.
The slight increase in diphtheria experienced locally in
1940 when 25 cases of this disease were notified did not persist,
during 1941, only 7 cases being notified. As in the previous
year the majority of cases were in adults, only 2 young babies
of 9 and 17 months being affected. Of the 5 adults, all of
whom were women, 3 were aged 21 years, 2 being nurses. None
of the patients had been immunised and in no case was the
source of infection traced. All were admitted to Hospital
where the diagnosis was not confirmed in two instances. No
deaths occurred from the disease.
It would be too early to assume from these local figures
that the small number of cases was directly attributable to the
greatly increased proportion of the population immunised, as
both in 1931 and 1957 only 8 cases were notified. Should the
proportion of the population who are immunised increase, as is
hoped, and the number of cases remain at a very low level, this
would tend to endorse the very conclusive statistics used in
support of the practice of immunisation, the evidence for which
is increasing annually.
The occurrence of two cases among babies and none among
school children during 1941 emphasises the importance of
immunisation being carried out as soon after the first
birthday as is practicable.
TYPHOID FEVER.
There were 6 notifications of Typhoid Fever during the
year of which 5 occurred in one of the mental hospitals. The
remaining case occurred in an adult male in August, the origin
of the disease being untraced. The diagnosis was made in a
County Hospital.
PARA-TYPHOID FEVER.
There were 6 notifications of cases of Paratyphoid
Fever of which two were resident at a local Mental Hospital,
The remaining 4 cases were unconnected with one another.
In no case could the origin definitely be established.
Only one of the notified cases was not treated in hospital and
all recovered from the disease.
SCARLET FEVER.
The position with regard to Scarlet Fever was very
satisfactory during 1041 as only 39 cases were notified. Waves
of this disease occurred locally in 1920-21, 1928-29 and 1934-36
Since 1936 the number of cases has been very consistent, viz.
62, 71, 65 and 6l, at may therefore be that the very low
figure for 1941 represents the lowest level of the trough
between two waves, in which case a slight increase in incidence