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59
Whooping Cough and Measles.—Information regarding the
prevalence of these two non-notifiable infectious diseases is obtained
from the weekly returns of absentees on account of infectious
disease which are supplied by the head-teachers of the elementary
schools. These returns show that during 1933 as many as 553
children were absent on account of whooping cough in comparison
with 187 in the previous year. The absentees due to measles,
however, were only 233, this figure being in marked contrast to that
of the previous year when 1,829 children were reported to be absent
on account of the disease.
Seven deaths occurred from whooping cough, giving a deathrate
of 0.05 per thousand of population, which is the same as the
death-rate for England and Wales. The deaths from whooping
cough included three children under one year of age and children
of 18 months, 19 months, two years and five years. In six cases
out of seven, broncho-pneumonia was stated to be a secondary
cause of death. There were no deaths from measles in the Borough
although the death-rate from this disease for England and Wales
was 0.05 per thousand of population.
HEALTH EDUCATION.
A very complete summary of the steps taken to impart to
the general public a knowledge of matters relating to the health
of the individual and of the community was contained in the
Annual Report for 1931.
During the year under review a new edition of the booklet
entitled "The Public Health Service of the Town Council," which
sets out in detail the whole of the public health facilities available
to residents in the Borough, was published and the issue of many
other booklets and leaflets was continued. One additional method
of bringing to the notice of the public matters appertaining
to public health was adopted by the Council and that was by
the display of posters issued by the Central Council for Health
Education on a large notice board handed over to the Council
by the Empire Marketing Board.