View report page

5
considerably greater than in 1950 and as these causes relate in the
main to prematurity and congenital defects, they are, to a great
extent outside public health control for the time being. The
number of deaths from preventable conditions such as broncho
pneumonia and other lung infections was roughly the same as
in 1950, so that there does not appear to have been any
obvious worsening of the position in regard to environmental
conditions or maternal care. It is necessary to point out that
the trend of infant mortality in a district such as this, based
as it is on a relatively small number of deaths, must not be
judged by small annual fluctuations which may be due to
fortuitous circumstances, but over a period of years and by
this criterion our figures are satisfactory.
There was 1 maternal death resulting from childbirth.
There were 690 live births during the year, in addition to 15
still births.
The incidence of infectious disease within the Borough
continued to be very low. No case of poliomyelitis was
confirmed in the Borough during 1951 and no case of
diphtheria was notified for the second year in succession.
Although this is eminently satisfactory, there is an implied
danger in the freedom from this disease in that the young
mothers of today have never seen a child with diphtheria or
heard of a child recently dying from this cause. There is a
noticeable tendency for diphtheria immunisation to be
neglected in many cases. It cannot be too strongly stressed,
however, that our present freedom from this disease is dependent
on a continued high level of immunisation of young
children as a group and parents should realise that they have
both a public and private duty to perform in this matter.
Although there were 1,007 cases of measles there was
only one death from this cause. 173 cases of whooping cough
were notified, there was 1 death. These two diseases, with
the exception of tuberculosis, are the two most important
infectious diseases experienced at the present time, leaving out
for the moment the unpredictable incidence of poliomyelitis.
Constant vigilance has to be exercised in regard to the
prevention of smallpox. As a result of the Brighton epidemic
in 1950/51, 22 contacts were traced to this area and vaccination
was carried out by the Health Department in most cases
and intensive supervision exercised during the danger period.
On two other occasions ships arrived in nearby ports carrying
a case of smallpox and contacts were traced to this area.