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13
SMALL POX.
I am glad to be able to report that not a single case of Small
Pox has occurred during the year, although there were at the beginning
of the year, a few isolated cases in the neighbouring districts.
In my Monthly Report for March, I remarked that there were a
very great number of unvaccinated children in our district, and that
in view of the Gloucester epidemic, it would be a serious thing for this
district, should this disease break out, and I wish again to emphasize
the importance of the Vaccination Act being rigidly enforced.
The West Ham Borough have proposed building a Small Pox
Hospital at Dagenham, and would admit cases from this and certain
other districts, provided that a seven years' agreement can be concluded
with all these districts upon the following terms:—each district
should contribute £1 per thousand of its estimated population, and
£2 2s. per week, per case sent in.
I have advised your Council that considering we could not erect
a Small Pox Hospital in this district, which would meet the requirements
of the Local Government Board, it would be beneficial if such
an agreement could be entered into, and negotiations to that effect are
now pending.
SCARLET FEVER.
There have been 501 cases notified, as compared with 507 in 1895.
The mortality is markedly diminished, being 1.1 per cent. as compared
with 2.3 in the previous year, and thus pointing to the conclusion
that the disease was of a milder type.
It seems to have been more or less prevalent during the whole
year, as seen in Table X., the greatest number of cases occurring in
one month being 65 in October, and the smallest 26 in March.
It will be seen from Table XI., that 40 per cent. of the cases
occurred in the Cann Hall Ward.
DIPHTHERIA.
There has been a considerable decrease in the number of cases
notified as compared with the previous year, and the rate of mortality
has also decreased, though not to such a marked degree.
Of the 25 deaths, 15 were under 5 years of age.
The disease seems to have been rather more prevalent during the
latter half of the year, and 26 cases occurred in October.