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Pneumonia, Malaria and Dysentery.—There were five cases
of malaria notified, all being persons who had contracted the disease
abroad. No cases of dysentery occurred.
Of pneumonia in the primary form there were 47 notifications
and of influenzal pneumonia 17 notifications. The deaths registered
as occurring from primary pneumonia numbered 50 and influenzal
pneumonia 3. The first number shows that medical men do not
always notify the occurrence of cases of primary pneumonia since
the number of deaths is higher than that of the notifications.
It would appear that the need for notification is usually remembered
when there is a fatal issue. Whenever the opportunity offers
medical men are informed of their responsibility in the notification
of this condition.
Whooping Cough, and Measles.—The weekly returns of
absences from, school owing to non-notifiable infectious disease,
made by the head-teachers, are very valuable in giving information
of the existence of these conditions not only in school children
but also, what is really more important, in children under 5 years
of age in whom serious complications are more common and more
fatal. The Health Visitors visit the homes affected and give
suitable advice in regard to the prevention of the spread of infection
and the avoidance of complications. At the end of the year the
Council made arrangements,, which will be referred to later, by which
children suffering from these conditions will be nursed by the
nurses employed by the Greater Ealing Nursing Association.
During the year very few cases of whooping cough occurred in
the district and there were no deaths from the disease. Measles
was more prevalent but the epidemic was neither large nor
serious. There were five deaths, giving a death-rate from the disease
of 0.05 per 1,000 of population, which compares favourably with the
rates for England and Wales and London, which were respectively
0.09 and 0.20.
Table VII gives the number of cases of infectious disease
notified and the number admitted to Hospital and Table VIII
the total deaths from the various infectious diseases and the ages
at death.