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4
Infectious disease. The reduced incidence of serious infectious disease
in recent years was again manifest. Other than tuberculosis, some 2,299
notifications were received, and these included 1,592 cases of measles, 168
cases of dysentery, 166 cases of scarlet fever, 140 cases of puerperal pyrexia,
52 cases of pneumonia, 51 cases of food poisoning, and 36 cases of whooping
cough. Some 357 cases of infectious disease received hospital treatment, and
this total included 138 cases of puerperal pyrexia which actually occurred in
hospital; of the scarlet fever cases only 29 received hospital treatment,
The diagnosis of poliomyelitis was confirmed in eight notified cases
but there were in addition four confirmed cases in Hackney residents diagnosed
and treated in hospitals outside the Borough. Of the total twelve cases, ten
were of the paralytic type and two were non-paralytic; unfortunately three cases,
a man aged 21 and women aged 29 and 39 years respectively proved fatal.
With regard to vaccination against poliomyelitis, the Department
co-operated to the full with the officers of the County Council in that
Authority's intensive campaign to bring home to the public the great value of
this protective measure and to secure that as many persons as possible in the
appropriate age groups were vaccinated.
All the eight cases of meningococcal infection received hospital treatment
and one case, that of a child aged 7 years, was fatal. Of the 168 cases of
sonne dysentery notified, 56 were associated with day nurseries.
Tuberculosis. Notifications of cases of tuberculosis notified for the
first time were 112 - 94 being pulmonary and 18 non-pulmonary. There were
17 male and two female deaths from this disease; in addition there were 29
deaths from other causes of persons suffering from tuberculosis. The death
rate per thousand of the population from tuberculosis for Hackney was 0.12
compared with a rate of 0.08 for England and Wales.
Inspection and Supervision of Food. The only new legislation of particular
importance concerning food and drugs made during the year were the Ice Cream
(Heat Treatment, etc.) Regulations, 1959, and the Food Standards (Ice Cream)
Regulations, 1959. Both these Regulations were made under Section 4 of the
Food and Drugs Act, 1955, and their provisions are fully set out in the food
section in the body of the report
Housing. The Borough Council's part in the current quinquennial slum
clearance programme, which ends in December, 1960, was completed during the
year. The Clearance Order made in 1958 in respect of eight houses in Maclaren
Street was confirmed by the Minister, Three further areas, Hertford Road
No 1 Area comprising 20 houses, Hertford Road No. 2 Area of 52 houses, and
the Homerton Grove area of 13 houses, were represented, and the necessary
Orders made by the Council; the Minister's confirmation of these Orders is
still awaited In the case of the Hertford Road Areas objections have been
lodged, and the Public Inquiry is expected to be held in November of this year
A detailed survey of the whole of the Borough was carried out with a
view to deciding what dwellings should be considered for inclusion in the
Clearance Programme for the next quinquennial period 1961-65. The properties
to be included and the allocation of same for clearance purposes are the
subject of consultation with the London County Council, and the joint proposals
of both Authorities will be submitted to the Minister of Housing and Local
Government before the end of the year.
The 71 Closing Orders made included 51 individual underground rooms, 15
parts of premises and 5 houses; a Demolition Order was made in respect of one
house As a result of closing and demolition procedure 27 families were
displaced - of these 23 were rehoused by the Borough Council, and 2 by the
London County Council