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3
Borough of Mitcham
HEALTH REPORT FOR 1958
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure in submitting my annual report for the
year 1958.
The general health in the Borough has been good and there
was no special outbreak of infectious disease.
The notifications of infectious diseases fell from the high figure
of 1,590 in 1957 to 325, mainly due to the decrease in measles, which
tends to have a two-yearly cycle.
There was no case of diphtheria, making nine years free of cases.
There was no case of poliomyelitis. This has happened only
once before in the last 12 years and was probably due, in great
measure, to the large number of children immunised, possibly helped
by the cold wet summer.
It is of interest that there was a sharp drop in whooping cough
notifications—to 45—which was the lowest in the 19 years since
notification came into force. The peak year was 1951 when there
were 420 cases, and the immunisation scheme in Surrey started the
following year.
The tuberculosis death rate remained at 0.08 compared with 0.10
per 1,000 population for England and Wales. Notifications increased
from 22 in 1957 to 31 in 1958.
Dysentery was notified in 8 cases against 47 for 1957.
There was one case of paratyphoid but this was contracted in
Ireland.