London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Leyton 1936

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]

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89
Summary.
Although the prevalent type of scarlet fever is a mild disease
with a very low direct fatality rate, its complications—and other
infections by the same organism—are conditions responsible for
serious subsequent morbidity and a high remote fatality.
Scarlet fever patients aggregated in multiple-bed wards are
exposed to serious risk from secondary infection and complications,
especially when the standards of bed-spacing and nursing efficiency
are diminished during epidemic periods.
Removal to hospital merely for the purpose of isolation is not
a necessary measure of control, and there is no evidence of increased
risk to patients or contacts when isolation is carried out in the home.
In view of the evidence of the extent of secondary infection
in multiple bed wards, separate cubicles for all patients must be
regarded as the ideal form of hospital provision.
At present the most practicable method of cubicle isolation is
in the home.
When scarlet fever patients are isolated at home, routine
exclusion of school contacts appears to be unnecessary.

DIPHTHERIA.

Year.Cases Notified.Deaths.Case Fatality per cent.
193215531.93
19339477.44
1934257114.28
193527682.89
1936231114.76