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7
PART I
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
Table 3 in the statistical summary (page 67) gives details of
cases of infectious diseases coming to the knowledge of the Medical
Officer of Health during 1949, and shows their distribution according
to sex and age.
It will be noted that there have been no unusual outbreaks
during the year.
The one case of malaria was induced for therapeutic purposes.
Tuberculosis.
There were 232 new cases of tuberculosis notified, a rise of 27 on
the previous year. 210 of these notifications were in respect of cases
of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis numbered 60 (41 males and
19 females), and non-pulmonary tuberculosis caused 7 deaths (5
males and 2 females). The death rate from all forms of tuberculosis
was 0.515 per 1,000 population.
The number of cases on the Department's register at 31st
December, 1949, was 1,273 (1,072 pulmonary and 201 non-pulmonary
tuberculosis). This was an increase of 154 on the previous year.
For some years there has been a steady increase in the number
of cases on the register, although the number of fresh notifications
has shown little change. It would therefore appear that the increase
is due to two factors, namely:—
1. Improvements in the treatment of tuberculosis have resulted
in a considerable increase in the expectation of life of the
tuberculosis sufferer. This is demonstrated by the diagrams
analysing the pulmonary tuberculosis deaths for 1929 compared
with 1949. (See diagram on page 8.)
2. The movement into the district of cases of tuberculosis.