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6
Poliomyelitis
Only one case of poliomyelitis occurred during 1950 compared with
the ten cases of the previous year. Unfortunately, the infection was of
a very severe type and the patient—a girl aged six years—died.
Tuberculosis
There was a slight increase in the number of new cases of pulmonary
tuberculosis, but the death rate was reduced, this reduction following
the general trend of the country as a whole.
There was only one new case of non-pulmonary tuberculosis
notified during the year.
MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE
There were again no maternal deaths during the year.
INFANT MORTALITY RATE
There was a slight increase in the number of deaths of infants
under one year, there being ten deaths in 1950 as compared with seven
deaths in 1949. This figure is, however, still well below the average
for the rest of the country. The Infant Mortality Rate for this area is
thus 20 per 1,000 as compared with 29.8 for England and Wales.
REMOVAL OF PERSONS IN NEED OF CARE AND
ATTENTION
(Section 47—National Assistance Act, 1948)
Twenty-four cases of elderly people requiring more adequate care
and attention than they could receive at home were reported during
the year, and each case was visited by a District Sanitary Inspector.
It will be appreciated that admissions to hospital are very difficult
to arrange in these times, consequently the list of chronic sick cases
kept by the Hospital Management Board at Kingston Hospital is very
lengthy. However, I am pleased to report that following submission
of the Inspectors' reports on the patients' home conditions, really
urgent cases have usually been admitted within a reasonable time.
Co-operation with the County Welfare Department and the Regional
Hospital Board remains good.
FOOD
Special attention was paid during the early summer to the question
of the conditions under which ice cream was being sold in the open air.
A report was prepared and submitted to the Public Health Committee,
as a result of which certain standards were formulated with regard to
vehicles, equipment and the conduct of itinerant vendors of ice cream.