London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hackney 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
This page requires JavaScript
56
PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES
During the year under review, 3,250 cases of notifiable infectious
disease occurred, as compared with 2,181 in the previous year and
2,965 in 1949.
The following table shows the incidence of the various diseases:—
| Disease. | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute Encephalitis, infective | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Acute Influenzal Pneumonia | 9 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 10 |
| Acute Primary Pneumonia | 48 | 63 | 36 | 43 | 59 | 69 |
| Acute Poliomyelitis, paralytic | - | 2 | - | 3 | 13 | 2 |
| Acute Poliomyelitis, nonparalytic | - | 39 | 6 | 35 | 10 | - |
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| Diphtheria | 19 | 28 | 40 | 16 | 8 | — |
| Dysentery | 40 | 12 | 26 | 9 | 24 | 88 |
| Enteric Fever | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 47 | 43 | 35 | 24 | 35 | 40 |
| Food Poisoning | — | — | — | 9 | 11 | 3 |
| Malaria | 7 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Measles | 1,474 | 511 | 1,736 | 2,009 | 1,091 | 2,168 |
| Meningococcal infection | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 26 | 21 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| Puerperal Fever | 10 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 49 | 32 | 23 | 28 | 24 | 55 |
| Scabies | 924 | 318 | 208 | 128 | 61 | 36 |
| Scarlet Fever | 249 | 313 | 259 | 267 | 274 | 316 |
| Typhus Fever | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Whooping Cough | 543 | 550 | 787 | 362 | 558 | 453 |
| Totals | 3,448 | 1,951 | 3,186 | 2,965 | 2,181 | 3,250 |
The attack rates for the principal infectious diseases in England and Wales, London and Hackney were as follows:—
| Disease. | England and Wales. 1951. | London. 1951. | Hackney. 1951. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 0.02 | 0.01 | Nil |
| Erysipelas | 0.14 | 0.15 | 0.23 |
| Food Poisoning | 0.13 | 0.23 | 0.02 |
| Measles | 14.07 | 14.64 | 12.69 |
| Acute Poliomyelitis (including polioencephalitis)—Paralytic | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Non-paralytic | 0.02 | 0.02 | Nil |
| Meningococcal infection | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| Pneumonia | 0.99 | 0.72 | 0.46 |
| Scarlet Fever | 1.11 | 1.10 | 1.85 |
| Paratyphoid fever | 0.02 | 0.01 | Nil |
| Smallpox | 0.00 | Nil | Nil |
| Typhoid fever | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Whooping Cough | 3.87 | 3.11 | 2.65 |