London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Southgate 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southgate]
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PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
From the table of infectious diseases set out on page 37 it
will be seen that 915 cases of infectious disease were notified during
the year as against 336 in 1960. The Infectious Sickness Rate for
the year was therefore 12.80 as compared with 4.80 during the
previous year.
The following table sets out the infectious diseases notified during 1961, as compared with the notifications received during 1960 :
| 1961 | 1960 | |
|---|---|---|
| Scarlet fever | 21 | 57 |
| Pertussis | 6 | 60 |
| Measles | 733 | 41 |
| Pneumonia | 23 | 18 |
| Dysentery | 88 | 104 |
| Encephalitis | 1 | 1 |
| Food poisoning | 13 | 21 |
| Erysipelas | 2 | 3 |
| Meningitis | — | 1 |
| Puerperal pyrexia | — | 1 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | — | 1 |
| Tuberculosis | 28 | 28 |
| 915 | 336 |
From the table set out above, the following facts emerge :
1. Scarlet fever notifications fell from 57 in 1960 to 21 in
1961. Once again, as I have said so often before, the type of
scarlet fever met with was extremely mild, so mild that admission
to hospital was only necessary when no one remained at home to
look after the affected child.
2. For the fourteenth year in succession, no case of diphtheria
occurred in the Borough. The last death took place approximately
19 years ago. The fact that cases of diphtheria are still occurring
in various parts of the country, however, once again means that
we dare not relax our precautions. This particularly applies to
immunisation, either against diphtheria alone or against diphtheria,
pertussis and tetanus combined. The fact that 93.4% of infants
under the age of two years are protected against diphtheria, either
alone or by the use of the triple antigen, is extremely pleasing.
Indeed, so far as I am aware, this immunisation rate is perhaps the
highest in these islands.
34