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37
Diphtheria.
217 cases of Diphtheria in a population of 76,970 Is ar
the rate of 282 per 1,000 living, compared with 1.59 for the
country as a whole./ The incidence per 1,000 under 15 is
5.93, compared with 6.36 for the same ages in England and
Wales.
All cases but one were admitted to the Isolation Hospital.
This was a case with concurrent measles, whom it was impossible
to isolate separately in the hospital.
The incidence rate was steadily low for the first seven
months with a total of 80 cases, August was the month with
the greatest number of cases, namely 40. In September the rate
fell to 'the a'verage, and in each of the last three months the
incidence was slightly heavier, though there was no very marked
autumnal rise. The low incidence is in marked contrast to the
number of cases occurring in the earlier part of 1930, when,
for eight consecutive weeks, double figures were recorded,
giving a total of 125 cases for the first nine weeks of the
year.
Of the primary cases 190 were on the Estate (out of a
population of .32,000 children) and 18 cases in other houses
in a population of 4,000 children.. This latter figure, however
includes five cases occurring in a school, secondary to
two convalescent carriers.
Secondary Cases.
In the 14 houses in which secondary cases occurrcd, there
and in one instance four followed on a primary infection, making
a total of 18 cases secondary to 15 primary cases.
All these secondary infections occurrcd in Estate houses
In three of them the second patient was infected before a
doctor was called in to the first, and in one instance the occurrence
of the secondary case led to the recognition of the primary
case. Of the remaining 11 infections the primary case was
not removed to the hospital before the 4th day in 6 cases. in
three instances the mother of the patient succumbed to the
disease.
In the 14 houses in which secondary cases occurred, there
was a room average of 0.6 adults and 0.8 children and a
bedroom average of 0.8 adults and 1.2 children. The corresponding
figures for the 184 houses in which no secondary infection
occurred were room average 0.5 adults with 0.7 children
and bedroom average 0.8 adults and 1.1 children.