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MEDICAL OFFICERS ANNUAL REPORT
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
Hayes, Middlesex.
June, 1952.
To the Chairman and Members of the Council.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you the forty-seventh Annual
Report on the health of your Urban District.
There was no major epidemic in 1951 but unfortunately the
number of persons on the tuberculosis register increased during
that year. This was despite the fact that new notifications in
the area decreased by 24. The rise was, therefore, due to transfers
from outside areas and to a diminution in the numbers removed
from the register. However, the total number of deaths from the
disease was only 24 out of a population of 65,000, whereas in 1931
it was 18 with a population of 24,000. Malignant disease of the
lung and bronchus has increased in one year by 33% from 15
to 20. No death occured from poliomyelitis and there was no
case of diphtheria. In this connection I cannot too strongly
emphasise the importance of immunisation of infants before they
reach the age of one year. The success of this procedure has been
amply proved by statistics, but there is a danger that the absence
of diphtheria at the present time may lead parents to imagine
that there is now no need to take precautions. This might lead to a
severe outbreak in the future with the consequent tragic results
amongst children. It should be considered a prime duty for parents
to see that their infants are immunised before they attain the age
of one year.
The infantile death-rate has been dropping consistently in the
past few years. Last year it reached a low record of 18.4. This
year it was only 14.9 as against 29.6 for England and Wales.
The Food Hygiene Guild has continued its activities in trying
to raise the standard of cleanliness in food shops, and there has been
good co-operation from the traders in this matter. There is no
doubt that when the public are fully educated in the importance
of preventing contamination of food, cases of food poisoning will
become rare. This is especially important in the case of infants,
where contaminated food can cause enteritis, with sometimes a
fatal result.
The health of the Urban District continues to be good.
I should like to thank the Chairman and Members of the
Public Health Committee for the help and encouragement they
have always given to my department, and the Chief Sanitary
Inspector and other members of the staff who have so conscientiously
carried out their work.
I have the honour to be,
Your obedient servant,
J. STANLEY LLOYD,
Medical Officer of Health.
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