London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hackney 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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52
PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES
During the year under review 2,965 cases of notifiable infectious
disease occurred as compared with 3,186 in the previous year and
1,951 in 1947.
The following table shows the incidence of the various diseases:—
| Disease. | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute Influenzal Pneumonia | 6 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Acute Primary Pneumonia | 49 | 48 | 63 | 36 | 43 |
| Acule Polioencephalitis | — | — | 2 | — | 3 |
| Acute Poliomyelitis | 2 | — | 39 | 6 | 35 |
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Diphtheria | 44 | 19 | 28 | 40 | 16 |
| Dysentery | 64 | 40 | 12 | 26 | 9 |
| Enteric Fever | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| Erysipelas | 46 | 47 | 43 | 35 | 24 |
| Food Poisoning | — | — | — | — | 9 |
| Malaria | 10 | 7 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Measles | 1,090 | 1.474 | 511 | 1,736 | 2,009 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 20 | 26 | 21 | 15 | 7 |
| Puerperal Fever | 13 | 10 | 6 | 4 | — |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 46 | 49 | 32 | 23 | 28 |
| Scabies | 1,021 | 924 | 318 | 208 | 128 |
| Scarlet Fever | 257 | 249 | 313 | 259 | 267 |
| Typhus Fever | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Whooping Cough | 233 | 543 | 550 | 787 | 362 |
| Totals | 2,905 | 3.448 | 1,951 | 3,186 | 2,965 |
The attack rates for the principal infectious diseases in England and Wales, London and Hackney were as follows:—
| Disease. | England and Wales. | London. | Hackney. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Diphtheria | 0.04 | 0.07 | 0.09 |
| Enteric Fever | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.06 |
| Erysipelas | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.13 |
| Measles | 8.95 | 8.54 | 11.61 |
| Pneumonia | 0.80 | 0.55 | 0.30 |
| Scarlet Fever | 1.63 | 1.46 | 1.54 |
| Whooping Cough | 2.39 | 1.70 | 2.09 |