View report page

10
SCARLET FEVER.
The cases certified numbered 185, of which 57, or 11.7 per cent., were subsequently
not regarded as scarlet lever. This percentage, although less than that
for 1924, is nevertheless, greatly above the average.

The cases are grouped according to ages in Table II. (Appendix). Of the cases
certified 471, or 97.1 per cent., were removed to hospital. The cases certified were
at the rate of 4.5 per 1,000 inhabitants, being above the average for the previous
10 years. The attack-rate per 1,000 population in the Borough was lowest in
Moorfields, and highest in Kingsland Ward, being 3.2 in the former, as compared
with 6.1 in the latter.
The deaths were at the rate of 0.04 per 1,000 population. The case-mortality
was at the rate of a shade over 1 per cent., which is somewhat below the average
for the previous ten years.
Amongst children under five years there were 221 cases with a case-mortality
allowing for errors in diagnosis, of 2.1 per cent. Amongst persons over five years
the case-mortality was only 0.4 per cent., allowing for errors in diagnosis.
The cases certified as scarlet fever in London numbered 12,296, being at the
rate of 2.7 per 1,000 population. The deaths numbered 100, being at the rate of
0.03 per 1,000 population, as estimated for the middle of the year 1924. Taking
the cases notified, the case-mortality for the metropolis was considerably under
1 per cent. Compared with the mortality from scarlet fever of 60 years ago that of
the present day can only be described as insignificant.