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This should be graded according to age, sex and physical
ability and there is excuse for only few to lead a completely sedentary
life.
Conditions under which we work, or travel to and from work,
may not be under our personal control, but certain statutory
safeguards are present. Our leisure activities are mainly what we
ourselves determine.
Those whose occupations are more or less sedentary should
endeavour, according to their needs and ability, to secure adequate
outdoor activity, which, it is becoming increasingly clear, is a
necessary party of preventive medicine.
Although strict observance of what is considered a healthy
way of life is no absolute guarantee of fitness and freedom from
disease, and many seem to ignore it with impunity, the evidence
in favour of abiding by the known rules of health is considerable.
With regard to the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases,
there is little upon which to comment this year, the incidence of
many being lower than last year, and, apart from Tuberculosis
and Pneumonia, the only death was due to meningococcal infection.
Good progress was made during the year with vaccination
against Poliomyelitis, but the numbers immunised against Diphtheria,
Whooping Cough and Smallpox were less than the previous year.
The efforts made to achieve a good acceptance of vaccination
against poliomyelitis, inevitably had an adverse effect on the other
immunisation acceptances and the present unduly large number of
injections for these procedures also acts as a deterrent to their
popularity. The importance of maintaining wide-spread immunity
to Diphtheria, Whooping Cough and Smallpox still exists, and it
would be a serious matter if immunisation against them were to be
neglected.
The vital statistics of the district show a satisfactory situation.
The Birth Rate is up ; the Death Rate is down ; there were no
deaths in consequence of childbirth ; and there was a comparatively
low Infant Mortality Rate, although higher than last year's record
low figure which was a remarkably low rate.
Deaths from Cancer of the lungs and bronchi (sixty, of whom
forty-eight were males) continue to increase, and those from Respiratory
Tuberculosis (seven, all males) continue to decrease.
The "Enfield Show," held annually in the Town Park, has
been a popular event for some years now, and again it was decided
to include a Health Department Exhibit.