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3
Borough of Mitcham
HEALTH REPORT FOR 1953
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure in submitting my annual report for
the year 1953.
The general health in the Borough has been good, and there
was no outbreak of infectious disease to cause special alarm. The
infectious diseases notifications were increased because of a rise
in measles and whooping cough, although the number of cases
of scarlet fever decreased.
Poliomyelitis affected five people, but they were fairly mild
cases, except for one case which died. Very much on the
preventive side for the fourth year in succession, there was no
case of diphtheria, and only two in the past six years, whereas
before that cases averaged sixty per year.
It was pleasing to note that deaths from tuberculosis were
the lowest on record, for the second year in succession, the death
rate being 0.15 per 1,000 population, compared with 0.19 last year
and 0.24 for England and Wales. The figures for this industrial
area used to be less favourable.
The fifteen cases of dysentery were mostly single cases
diagnosed on clinical grounds, not confirmed bacteriologically.
The birth rate of 13.91, after correction by the comparability
factor to correspond with the average age and sex grouping of
the whole population, becomes 13.21, which compares with 15.5
for England and Wales.