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The very low average child death-rates in Beddington and
Wallington, when compared with the aggregate of the other smaller
towns, with populations of from 25,000 to 50,000 persons, is a clear
testimony to the efficient child welfare work in this Borough.
With the exception of whooping cough, the incidence of infectious
diseases generally showed a marked decline during 1944.
The routine of public health work suffered considerably owing to
the flying-bomb attacks and the evacuation of a large proportion of
the children to safer areas. This is reflected in the returns of attendances
at the Child Welfare Centres, which showed a sudden decline
in June, when the bombs first began, dropped to less than half the
usual number in the next few months, and did not begin to rise until
November.
The attendances at the Child Welfare Centres for the first five
months of the year had been well maintained at 6,103, against 6,092
in 1943. But in the succeeding seven months they fell to 4,750, compared
with 8,123 in the previous year. The evacuation of a large
proportion of the child population of the Borough also led to a great
fall in the diphtheria immunisations performed, which totalled only 161,
against 515 in 1943. The state of nutrition of the population referred
to in previous reports has shown no material change during the year.
But a few examples of Avitaminosis C (Infantile Scurvy) were occasionally
met with and a number of young children observed, as mentioned
in last year's report, with symptoms of mild Avitaminosis D
(Rickets). In this latter connection, the opening of the new Solarium
at the Grange Mansion, which took place on 18th September, after
several months' delay due to the flying bombs, has already proved of
immense value. A total of 261 children and other patients have
received treatment entailing no less than 3,105 attendances, up to the
end of the year, a figure which compares very favourably with those
admitted to solaria of a similar size in other parts of the country.
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