View report page

3
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, 1963.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Enfield.
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1963.
I have previously drawn attention to the wide variety of
environmental conditions to be found in a Borough like Enfield
which has grown rapidly in a comparatively short period of time.
In Enfield one has to deal not only with complex urban problems
but also those of a rural nature.
As in previous years, the work of the Department has been
directed mainly towards the control of infectious disease, the
provision and maintenance of fit dwellings, sound drainage, pure
and wholesome food and water, clean air, and freedom from excessive
noise.
The list of inspections and visits made by the staff shows the
wide nature of the investigations carried out, but the number is
lower this year, owing to a serious shortage of Public Health Inspectors.
This has led to a policy of attention being limited mainly
to the essential and urgent matters that arise daily.
With regard to Infectious Disease, it was a year for Measles,
following the comparatively low number the previous year. This
is one of the dwindling number of infectious diseases for which,
as yet, no completely satisfactory means of immunisation is available,
although progress is being made in this direction.
There was a reduction in the number of notified cases of
Respiratory Tuberculosis. The general trend towards notifications
in the older age groups, especially in males, is evident in the figures,
and emphasizes the need for vigilance in regard to the dangers to
family and other contacts from these older patients. Another
aspect which is of some impoitance was the marked increase in the
number of notified tuberculous patients who came to reside in
Enfield.
With regard to the fight against Bovine Tuberculosis with its
public health dangers, a significant factor has been the continuing
improvement, over the years, in the hygienic quality of milk, and
as from 1964, under the Milk (Special Designation) Regulations
1963, there will be three special designations for Milk, namely,
"Pasteurised," "Sterilised" and "Untreated." "Untreated"
is a new designation for raw milk, and as all milk in England and