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5
Public Health Department,
Council Offices,
Billet Lane,
HORNCHURCH,
28th May, 1959.
Telephone:
Hornchurch 52555.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Hornchurch Urban District Council.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I beg to present my Annual Report for 1958.
The general picture of district, health remained satisfactory.
Individual points of importance and interest are noted below and—
in certain instances— analysed in some detail later in the report.
Vital Statistics.
The Birth Rate (corrected) rose from 17.15 to 18.51, the Death Rate
(corrected) fell from 10.42 to 10.27 and the Infant Mortality rate from
18.85 to 13.91.
These most important figures all show a satisfactory trend.
Infectious Diseases.
There was a decrease in 1958 of all the common notifiable Infectious
Diseases.
It was not a Measles epidemic year, Infective Hepatitis fell from 33
to 8, Poliomyelitis from 17 to 10 (and most important six of the reduction
was in paralytic cases).
Housing.
The number of sub-standard dwellings still remaining is small indeed
but naturally enough fresh instances periodically come to light.
Overcrowding.
No survey of overcrowding has yet been deemed desirable and only
the general picture is available. The position should have improved
gradually in terms of the amount of post-war building which— in this
district— has been notable.
Food and Drugs.
A steady programme has been carried through.
The food sampling causes, perhaps, more satisfaction than that of
drugs since it is more readily possible to assess the results obtained.
What, however, is clearly demonstrated is the skill invested in the various
methods of advertising products.