London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
West Ham 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
(a) Infectious Diseases.
GENERAL. The Puerperal Pyrexia (Amendment) Regulations, 1954, came Into operation on 1st
March, 1955. These Regulations amended the principal regulations by prescribing a new form
of certificate for the notification of Puerperal Pyrexia by medical practitioners, who are
now requested to state the cause of the disease, if known.
Table showing Cases of Infectious Disease Notified & Confirmed. 1955.
| Diseases | All Age Groups | Ages | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 1955 | 0-1 | 1-3 | 3-5 | 5-10 | 10-15 | 15-25 | Over 25 | Deaths | |
| Smallpox | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cholera | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Diphtheria | 1 | 14 | - | - | - | 9 | 4 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 21 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 225 | 112 | - | 15 | 25 | 56 | 15 | 1 | - | - |
| Typhoid Fever | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| Paratyphoid Fever | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| Typhus | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Relapsing Fever | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Plague | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ac.Poliomyelitis (Para.) | 5 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | - | 2 | - |
| " " (Non-Para.) | 3 | 7 | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | 1 | - |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Malaria | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| Dysentery | 162 | 111 | 5 | 15 | 12 | 43 | 8 | 7 | 22 | - |
| Acute Pneumonia | 136 | 94 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 48 | 87 |
| (all forms) | ||||||||||
| Tuberculosis Respiratory | 167 | 145 | - | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 99 | 29 |
| „ Meninges | - | — | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| „ Other | 22 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 54 | 62 | - | - | - | - | - | 27 | 35 | - |
| Measles | 71 | 3,169 | 128 | 773 | 902 | 1,334 | 28 | 3 | 1 | - |
| Whooping Cough | 163 | 288 | 36 | 73 | 60 | 110 | 6 | - | 3 | - |
| Pood Poisoning | 27 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | - | 1 | 6 | - |
| Leprosy | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Meningococcal Infection | 8 | 4 | - | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Ac.Encephalitis Infective | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| " (Post Infectious) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| TOTALS: | 1,066 | 4,070 | 181 | 898 | 1,015 | 1,585 | 73 | 78 | 240 | 119 |
The following table shows the age Incidence and case rate per 1,000 population of Scarlet Fever, Measles and Whooping Cough.
| Age | Scarlet Fever | Measles | Whooping Cough |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | • | 128 | 36 |
| 1-4 years | 40 | 1,675 | 133 |
| 5-9 years | 56 | 1,334 | 110 |
| 10-14 years | 15 | 28 | 6 |
| Over 15 years | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Case Rate/1000 population | 0.67 | 18.87 | 1.71 |
Scarlet fever has assumed a mild form during the past few years and the number of notifications
does not give a true picture of the Incidence of the disease. Many cases may be missed or
are diagnosed only after the event by the peeling of the skin.
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