London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Shoreditch 1930

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]

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24
Scarlet Fever.
The cases certified numbered 434, of which 50 or 11.5 per cent. were
subsequently not regarded as Scarlet Fever. The actual number of cases was
accordingly 384, which gives an attack rate of 3.9 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The age seasonal and Ward distribution of the cases are included in the table
on page 19. There was one fatal case, a female between 5 and 10 years of age.

The number of cases, deaths and the attack, death and case mortality rates in the Borough and Wards are given in the subjoined table :—

Wards.No. of cases.Fatal cases.Rates per 1,000 population.Case mortality. Deaths per 100 cases.
Male.Female.Total.Male.Female.Total.
Attack.Death.
Moorfields9716.........4.1......
Church334477...114.40.061.30
Hoxton174461.........4.0......
Wenlock182846.........3.4......
Whitmore302656.........3.3......
Kingsland132033.........3.3......
Haggerston313364.........6.1......
Acton131831.........2.7......
Total164220384...113.90.010.26
London......16,750......1123.80.020.67

The number of cases in Shoreditch was more than in 1929, in which year there
were 314 cases with an attack rate of 3 2.
The measures taken to control the disease are as follows :—
Isolation of patient. With the exception of 5 cases all those certified
were removed to Hospital.
Disinfection of home and of articles likely to spread infection.
Advice to those exposed as to early symptoms and importance of seeking
medical aid.
Search for source of infection. A missed case is sometimes found still
in the infectious stage, and is removed to Hospital.
As is the case with Diphtheria, susceptibility to Scarlet Fever can now
be ascertained by a simple test and persons who are liable to contract the
disease can be immunized. There is no clinic for this purpose in Shoreditch,
and no case of artificial Scarlet Fever immunization came to the knowledge of
the Public Health Department.