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There is no doubt that the Maternity and Child Welfare
services can claim much credit for these two record figures, which
must be considered as an encouragement to further efforts. The
importance, however, of differential food rationing for mothers
and babies should not be forgotten, since adequate nutrition is
the basic necessity for such achievements.
Tuberculosis Death-Rate.
Against The general background of improved or recordbreaking
figures, the increased number of deaths from pulmonary
tuberculosis is disappointing. It would not be right to make
deductions from such an annual fluctuation, which, in any case,
shows a more favourable figure than 1938. Nevertheless, for the
overall trend to be one of sustained improvement, 1949 must
record a substantial reduction.
Infectious Diseases.
Of all the notifiable conditions, excluding tuberculosis,
whooping cough provided the most fatalities. While five deaths
is not a large number, the question which immediately arises is :
—Were they preventable? Unfortunately, the results of the largescale
trials now proceeding of whooping cough vaccine will not
be available for some time. Inoculation against whooping cough
is performed in Croydon at the specific request of the parents,
but with a warning that no guarantee of resulting immunity can
be given, as is possible in the case of diphtheria. In any event,
it will be observed that all five deaths were in infants under six
months of age, and four of them were under three months of age.
The present method of inoculation could not have prevented these
deaths.
Measles was prevalent, but mild in character.
Diphtheria is no longer a killing disease and the number of
cases notified continues to decline.
Scarlet fever cases were fewer but still plentiful. The illness
was in general of short duration and mild in character. In many
instances in scarlet fever the rash is now so fleeting that diagnosis
is doubtful and strict isolation difficult to enforce.
Polio-myelitis was much diminished in incidence in comparison
with 1947.
No case of typhoid fever was notified.
Venereal Diseases.
The tables included in the reports show the number of cases
reporting for treatment for the first time during the last ten years.
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