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13
PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS AND
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
The following diseases are compulsorily notifiable in Hackney: -
Anthrax
Cholera
Continued Fever
Diphtheria (or Membranous Croup)
Dysentery
Encephalitis, Acute
Erysipelas
Food Poisoning (or suspected
Food Poisoning)
Glanders
Hydrophobia
Leprosy
Malaria
Measles
Meningococcal Infection
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
Paratyphoid Fever
Plague
Pneumonia, Acute Influenzal
Pneumonia, Acute Primary
Poliomyelitis, Acute
Puerperal Pyrexia
Relapsing Fever
Scabies
Scarlet Fever
Smallpox
Tuberculosis
Typhoid Fever
Typhus Fever
Whooping Cough
The Public Health (Infectious Disease)Regulations, 1953. . These Regulations
came into operation on April 1st, and supersede the Infectious Disease
(London) Regulations, 1927. They continue the requirements of the old Regulations
in regard to the notification of Malaria, Dysentery, Acute Primary
Pneumonia and Acute Influenzal Pneumonia, and provide for preventive action to
be taken on the occurrence of Malaria, Typhus Fever and Relapsing Fever as
well as the Enteric and other intestinal infections. There are important new
provisions concerning the action to be taken against risk of infection from
food; whereas the old Regulations referred to "Enteric Fever and Dysentery",
the 1953 Regulations cover "Typhoid Fever, Paratyphoid Fever and other
Salmonella infections, Dysentery, and staphylococcal infections likely to
cause food poisoning". Under the 1927 Regulations action could only be taken
in regard to a person suffering from the disease in question but the new
Regulations provide for necessary steps to be taken in the case of a carrier
of the disease as well as a sufferer, and a person in either category
may now be prevented not only from continuing in an occupation concerned with
food or drink but also from entering such an occupation, Further, power is
now given to a local authority to authorise its Medical Officer of Health to
take necessary action in emergency: the Borough Council has delegated this
authority to the Medical Officer of Health.
The total number of infectious and contagious diseases notified, excluding
tuberculosis, was 2,906 and of that number measles accounted for 51.89 per
cent. There were 11 deaths:-
Dysentery 3
Encephalitis; Post Infectious 1
Measles 2
Pneumonia, Acute Influenzal 1
Pneumonia, Acute Primary 3
Poliomyelitis 1
DIPHTHERIA. The one case of diphtheria was in a woman aged 48 years.
Clinically this case was very mild with only slight faucial exudate which
cleared within twenty-four hours and the patient was discharged from hospital
after twenty-two days. Seven other persons were admitted to infectious
disease hospitals with diagnoses of diphtheria or suspected diphtheria but six
were finally diagnosed as suffering from tonsillitis and one from peritonsillar
abscess.