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14
VACCINATION.- -During the year ending December 31st, 1905,
the number of primary vaccinations in Croydon and Penge amounted
to 4,033, as compared with 4,366, registered births.
MEASLES accounted for 24 deaths during the year as compared
with 62 deaths in 1904. As measles is not notifiable in the
Borough, the actual number of children who suffered from the
disease is unknown, but must have been very considerable, as during
the year no less than eight schools were closed for this disease and
1,267 notifications were sent to various elementary schools after
enquiry into suspected cases by the Health Visitors. It is once
more noteworthy that all the fatal cases occurred in small houses.
The influence of school attendance and measles is referred to
in the report to the Education Committee.
SCARLET FEVER (see Tables III., IV. and VI.). Four hundred
and sixteen cases were notified, of which 11 ended fatally, as compared
with 291 cases and eight deaths in 1904. From Table
VI. it will be seen that the disease was more prevalent than
in any year since 1900, and the number of deaths was greater than
in any year since 1897, when 13 cases ended fatally. The cases
were pretty generally distributed throughout the Borough, but
the East and West Wards had rather more than their share, while
the Upper Norwood Sub-Division was singularly free from this
disease. One of the elementary schools was closed on account
of the disorganisation produced by a small outbreak.
Three hundred and thirteen cases or 75 per cent, were isolated
at the Borough Hospital.
RETURN CASES OF SCARLET FEVER. —In 16 instances 23
other cases of Scarlet Fever arose in homes to which patients had
been discharged from hospital.