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disease, especially among children. The even more
important fact that only 8 persons (mostly adults),
several of whom contracted the disease and were treated
outside the district, died from diphtheria during the
past 10 years, supports the need for continued
immunisation.
It is also interesting to note that the last
outbreak of diphtheria in Southgate occurred in 1933,
the year in which immunisation was begun in the
district. This outbreak, which Only lasted a few weeks,
was responsible for 17 cases and 2 deaths.
NOTIFICATIONS OP INFECTIOUS DISEASE - INFECTIOUS
SICKNESS RATE.- 1006 cases of infectious disease were
notified during the year, as set out in the following
tables. This compares with 636 notifications in 1944,
1229 in 1943, 796 in 1942 and 1278 in 1941.
The Infectious Sickness Rate for the district was
15.48, as against 9.91 in 1944, 18.77 in 1943, 12.1 in
1942 and 19.69 in 1941.
As noted in the introduction to this Report, the
comparative value of the Infectious Sickness Rate has
been considerably decreased, following the addition of
measles and whooping cough to the list of compulsory
notifiable diseases. A scrutiny of the notifications
received during the year, as set out below, will,
however, reveal the fact that infection generally was
extremely low in the Borough. This particularly
applies to diphtheria, which, although 11 cases were
notified as against 8 during the previous year, is no
longer a serious disease from an epidemiological point
of view. It is also pleasant to note that tuberculosis
notifications decreased by more than 25% during the year.
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