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3
Borough of Mitcham
HEALTH REPORT FOR 1959
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure in submitting my annual report for the
year 1959.
The general health in the Borough has been good and there
was no special outbreak of infectious disease.
The notifications of infectious diseases were 1,000 compared
with 325 in 1958. The increase was mainly due to measles for
which 1959 was a high year.
There was one case of poliomyelitis, a mild paralytic one in a
boy aged 2¼ years.
This is the only case since September, 1957, and I think it
can safely be said that this shows the beneficial effect of polio
immunisation. Each year the number of cases for England and Wales
becomes smaller and smaller, a trend which is seen even in the
weekly figures.
The decline in whooping cough notifications continued. This
year there were only 17, the lowest figure for 20 years.
The tuberculosis death rate fell from 0.08 to 0.03 which compares
with 0.08 per 1,000 population for England and Wales. Notifications
were 28 compared with 31 for the previous year.
It is worthy of note that the number of cases on the tuberculosis
register has decreased consistently over the last ten years and now
shews a reduction of 34.5 per cent. for pulmonary and 75.1 per cent.
for non-pulmonary cases as compared with 1950.
Dysentery was notified in 10 cases as against 8 for 1958.
There were no cases of paratyphoid.