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One advantage of tracing the hospital cases was that a more
complete picture of the prevalence of primary pneumonia was
obtained, for as usual notification was most spasmodic, two doctors
notifying more than half the cases. On the other hand as patients
were already in hospital when notified, no useful preventive
measures could be instituted. None of the cases appeared to be
interconnected.
A total of 33 deaths from all forms of pneumonia occurred
but only a few of them were among the notified cases.
MEASLES.
In the Annual Report for 1950 it was noted that a rapid
increase in the number of cases of measles had occurred in the
last two months when 371 of a total of 477 cases had been
notified. This wave, which began in October, 1950, continued
until August, 1951, the peak being in March, 1951 when 231
cases were notified out of a total of 810 cases notified during the
year.
This total is 105 more than the previous highest number of
notifications, which was in 1945. All parts of the District had
a large number of cases except Selsdon and, as usual, it was the
5-10 year old children who were chiefly affected, but a large
number of the 2-5 year old children also suffered. Fortunately,
the disease was of a fairly mild type with few complications, only
9 being admitted to hospital.
As waves of whooping cough, chickenpox and mumps occurred
more or less concurrently with the measles epidemic, measures
to limit its spread were mostly impracticable and only the most
important cases could be visited by the Health Visitors.
Doubt has previously been expressed in these Reports as to
the usefulness of compulsory notification of measles and whooping
cough in a District such as this, and recent experience has tended
to confirm this view. Payment of the full notification fee has given
a more complete picture of the number of cases, but less preventive
work is practicable. Owing to the National Health Service Act
almost all cases are seen by private doctors and at an earlier
stage than hitherto, while modern methods of treatment reduce
the risks and combat the results of complications.
WHOOPING COUGH.
This disease was again fairly prevalent. In 1950 there had
been 242 cases with the peak in August, while in 1951 there were
204 cases with a slightly smaller peak in March. Only occasional
cases were occurring at the end of the year. The ages and geographical
distributions were very similar to those for measles,
Selsdon having remarkably few cases.
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