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PREFACE
Public Health Offices,
Ilfobd.
September, 1947.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Ilford.
Me. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I submit herewith the Annual Report on the Health Services for the
year 1946.
The health of the town's inhabitants has remained uniformly good, as
evidenced by the vital statistics given on pages 11 and 12. A reference to table
1a on page 15 will show that the local figures compare most favourably with
those for England and Wales, and the Administrative County of London.
It will be noted that the uncorrected death rate of 8.9 is 1.1 below the figure
for 1945, and the corrected death rate of 9.7 is 1.6 below the 1945 figure.
The Infantile Mortality rate continued its decline, falling to 29.6. the lowest
ever recorded in Ilford, and substantially below that given for England and
Wales (43) or the Administrative County of London (41). The Birth rate,
as predicted in the last report, showed a rapid rise, reaching the figure of
20.2, the highest since 1911. The actual number of births registered totalled
3,443 as compared with 2,479 for 1945. It is satisfactory to note that the
number of illegitimate births registered was only 3.1% of the total. This is
the lowest figure since 1940, and contrasts with 5.5% for 1945.
The graphic representation appearing at the end of this review illustrates
the trend of health affairs in the Borough throughout the past 47 years.
In the envrionmental hygiene section the work of the Department was
considerably increased. Apart from the routine supervision of matters of
general hygiene and sanitation, particular attention has been paid to the
purity of food supplies, especially milk and ice cream.
During the year the responsibility for executing war damage repairs
passed from the Council. In consequence applications for certificates of
housing defects to support claims for war damage repairs or for building
licences have greatly multiplied with resultant increase in the work of the
Sanitary Inspectors. A large number of house inspections have been necessitated
by complaints received of insanitary or overcrowded housing conditions
upon the substantiation of which complainants wish to base claims for the
provision of alternative accommodation. The Inspectors have also had to
deal with numerous requests for the removal of aged and infirm or chronic
invalids from insanitary premises. Unfortunately institutional accommodation
for these persons is totally insufficient.
So far as Infectious Diseases are concerned, there have been no serious
epidemics affecting the citizens of the Borough. The commonest ailment
was measles, there being, however, 1,135 cases as against 2,154 in 1945.
Whooping cough, the next common infection, similarly showed a reduction
from 536 to 341 cases.
Despite large numbers of smallpox contacts returning from abroad, only
one case of this disease occurred in the Borough. Fortunately, no secondary
cases developed. It will be noted that the sanitary inspectors paid 2,099
visits to houses in connection with the surveillance of contacts.
One local resident developed typhoid fever on return from holiday at
Aberystwyth, where the disease was epidemic. No secondary cases occurred.