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Prevalence of and Control over
Infectious and Other Diseases.
From Table V, oil page 79, it will be seen that 270 cases of
infectious diseases were notified during the year, as against 332 in
1934, a decrease of 62. These 270 cases represent infection in
252 houses. It will be observed that the number of cases of infectious
disease notified during 1935 has shown a definite decrease from
that of the previous year. Southgate is now enjoying a period
during which the incidence of infectious disease is at a relatively
low level. Everything possible should be done to safeguard the
population against a reversal of these conditions, but it must be
remembered that, in such an urbanised community as North
Middlesex, it is too much to hope that this happy state of affairs
will continue indefinitely. It should be our aim to protect the
community by such measures as active immunisation, improvement
in housing, attention to nutrition, and general control of infectious
disease, using all the powers vested in the Local Authority, in the
hope that the population will thereby be placed in a more favourable
position to withstand outbreaks of infectious disease, and also
ill the hope that natural immunity will take its course and afford a
sufficient margin of additional protection.
The ward distribution of the cases of infectious disease notified
during the year was as follows:—
1934. 1935.
South Ward 135 101
Middle Ward 74 63
North-West Ward 69 43
North-East Ward 54 63
When compared with the notifications received during 1934,
it will be seen that the figures for the South and North-West Wards
show a definite proportionate decrease, that for the Middle Ward is
slightly down, while the figure for North-East Ward is correspondingly
increased. The reason for the increase in the last-named
ward was the occurrence of a small localised outbreak of scarlet
fever during the early portion of the year.
The infectious Sickness Rate for the district for 1935 was 4.3,
as against 5.5 in 1934 and 4.2 in 1933. From the graph set out
on page 57, it will be seen that the figure of 4.3 is one of the most
satisfactory recorded during the past 10 years, lower figures having
only been obtained for the years 1931 and 1933.
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