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Section F. Prevalence of, and Control over, Infectious and other
Diseases.
1. (a) Smallpox.—No cases of Smallpox occurred during 1938.
(b) Scarlet Fever.—Eighty-three cases were notified and no deaths
occurred.
There has been a further decrease in the number of cases, the number
recorded being the lowest since 1926.
(c) Diphthria.—Thirty-five cases were notified and one death
occurred.
This is the lowest number of cases recorded since 1923.
One hundred and eighty-four prophylactic inoculations against
diphtheria were given under the Council's scheme. I regard this as a
disappointingly small number. It is difficult to make the public recognise
that this inoculation requires at least two months to produce immunity and
is therefore useless as an immediate protective when the disease is prevalent,
but of the greatest value if given in time.
(d) Pneumonia.—The number of cases notified was much less than
last year, thirty-nine compared with sixty-four, but the number of deaths,
twenty-six, was the same in both years.
(e) Puerperal Pyrexia.—This is the first full year in which notification
of puerperal fever and puerperal pyrexia have been joined together
for the purposes of notification under the name Puerperal Pyrexia. There
was an increase of four compared with the combined notifications of
puerperal fever and puerperal pyrexia last year.
(f) Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers.—One case of Paratyphoid B.
was notified.
(g) Dysentery.—Three cases were notified.
(h) Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—Four cases were notified. In no
case was there any impairment of vision.
(i) Acute Poliomyelitis.—Two cases occurred in the district; both
were adults. One boy, whose home was in Woodford, died of the disease
in a London Hospital where he had been taken from a boarding school in
another district.
(j) Encephalitis Lethargica.—No cases were notified.
As can be seen from the statistics given, the year 1938 was a very
healthy one in this district. This is perhaps to be accounted for by the
almost complete absence of influenza. An epidemic of influenza in the early
part of the year not only incapacitates or kills its victims during the
epidemic, but produces a lowered state of resistance to disease in the
community which tends to allow other diseases to become more prevalent.
Particulars of the incidence of notifiable diseases during 1938 and an
analysis of the cases in age groups are contained in the accompanying
tables.