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"Routine surveys by the London County Council medical staff at
schools in connection with B.C.G. for school-leavers frequently discover
a few cases of childrsn who show evidence of T.B. infection.
Although usually such children show no evidence of actual disease,
as a precaution they are regularly X-rayed at the Chest Clinic over
a period of 2 years at least as a safeguard.
"In 1962 we had operating for the first time a new scheme for
X-ray facilities through the Chest Clinic, open to all general practitioners:
this is already proving a valuable form of case discovery
and has great potentialities for the future.
"Tuberculosis cannot be regarded as being beaten until the last
case has been diagnosed and successfully treated, and clearly we have
soma way to go before this stage is reached. The oresence of even
a handful of infectious cases can be a potential source of danger.
Tuberculosis has sometimes been referred to as the "sleeping dragon"
and may still give us some unpleasant surprises. Compared with 25
years ago the position is very good but continued effort is still
called for to complete the filial eradication of this monster."
As shown in the graph facing page 50 there was a consistent
decline over the last five years in the morbidity rate for the Borough.
The mortality rate does not demonstrate a fall during this period.
However, dealing with such small numbers, this may not be statistically
valid; national figures show that mortality has decreased to a
considerably greater extent than morbidity (as discussed in the report
of the Chest Physician above). The male death rate for Pulmonary
Tuberculosis in England and Wales decreased from 304 in 1952 to 93 in
1962, and the female death rate from 128 to 28 per million population.
Analysis of data (Table I, page 50) indicates the large number
of notified cases from common lodging houses, seamen's lodging houses,
and from the immigrant population in the Borough. Notifications of
immigrants have remained constant, or have slightly increased, whilst
the other groups show a decrease. Hence the percentage of cases per
year increased from 22 per cent in 1958 to 37 per cent in 1962 for
immigrants. Most of these persons, of Asiatic origin, congregate in
some of the worst areas of the borough living under grossly overcrowded
conditions which further increases the chance of cross-infection. As
reported in the Housing section, a limited policy was approved by the
Council to abate these grossly overcrowded tenancies - particularly in
respect of single males who often occupy upwards of four persons to a
room for sleeping purposes.
The arrangements made with the High Commissioners of Malta and
Cyprus continue whereby reports on conditions at proposed addresses of
would-be immigrants from those countries are supplied by the Department.
A recommendation made by the Borough Council that such a scheme should be
applied to other countries was supported by the Metropolitan Boroughs'
Standing Joint Committee. A compulsory health check including a
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