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PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
From the table of infectious diseases set out on page 39, it will
be seen that 384 cases of infectious diseases were notified during the
year as against 1,216 in 1957. The Infectious sickness Rate for the
year was therefore 5.41, as compared with 16.92 during the previous
year.
The drop in the number of infectious diseases notified during
the year was due almost entirely to the low incidence of measles,
1958 not being a "measles year". Indeed, apart from the decrease in
measles notifications, the infectious diseases notifications for 1958
showed no material difference from those recorded during the
previous year.
I can add very little to the paragraphs contained in my Report
for 1957 which dealt with the notification of infectious diseases,
and with the question of epidemiology as a sociological entity. I
am still of opinion that the existing system of notification should
be reviewed in its entirety, in the light of present'day knowledge
and experience. Two facts are becoming increasingly obvious :
Although it is very right that we should continue—at least
for the time being—to receive notification of even the milder type
of infectious diseases, it would seem that there is at least a proportion
of dead wood that could profitably be removed. What is more
important, much more important, certain diseases, some of them
non-infectious, might well be added to the list of diseases which
are at present reported to the Public Health Department. This
is not, of course, a matter which has only local significance, but
rather falls within the category of a national problem. If the
Public Health Department and the Borough Council are concerned
with all matters which affect the health of the inhabitants of the
Borough—and this has been clearly established—then it surely
follows logically that we should have the fullest possible information,
not only of conditions which are likely to affect health, but
of diseases which are materially influencing not only the health and
welfare but the lives of young and old. Thus, although we know
at any time, at least with some degree of accuracy, how many cases
of scarlet fever or measles are occurring in the district, we normally
have to wait until the receipt of a death certificate before we are
made aware of instances of diseases such as cancer, acute fatal
rheumatism and heart disease. Yet, we are perfectly well aware
that scarlet fever is an extremely mild disease today : while in the
case of measles, as I have said before, we need do little more than
act as a post office.
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