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 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
This page requires JavaScript
57
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
From October 1968, the various enactments relating to notifiable and
contagious diseases were amended and consolidated in the Public Health
(Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1968. Erysipelas, membranous croup,
pneumonia and puerperal pyrexia ceased to be notifiable while leptospirosis,
acute meningitis, tetanus and yellow fever were added to the list of notifiable
diseases. Infective jaundice also became notifiable during the year having
been added to the list in June.
Details of infectious and contagious diseases notified (confirmed diagnoses) in 1968 were as follows:-
| Anthrax | Nil | Meningitis (Acute) | Nil |
| Cholera | Nil | Meningococcal Infection | Nil |
| Diphtheria | Nil | Ophthalmia neonatorum | 12 |
| Dysentery | 127 | Plague | Nil |
| Encephalitis (Acute) | 1 | Pneumonia | 7 |
| Enteric (Typhoid or Paratyphoid fever) | 2 | Poliomyelitis (Acute) | Nil |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 87 | ||
| Erysipelas | 4 | Scarlet fever | 29 |
| Pood Poisoning | 23 | Smallpox | Nil |
| Infective Jaundice | 68 | Tetanus | Nil |
| Leptospirosis | Nil | Tuberculosis | 104 |
| Malaria | 1 | Typhus fever | Nil |
| Measles | 398 | Whooping cough | 69 |
| Membranous croup | Nil | Yellow fever | Nil |
TUBERCULOSIS
Apart from the 104 primary notifications of tuberculosis 30 non-primary
notifications were received. These latter are cases that have either been
previously notified in another area and have now transferred into Hackney or
been notified posthumously.
Details of the notified cases of pulmonary tuberculosis are as follows:-
| Age Groups | Primary Notifications | Non-Primary Notifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| 0 - 5 | 1 | 2 | _ | |
| 5 - 15 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 - 25 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| 25 - 55 | 30 | 18 | 9 | 6 |
| 55 and over | 16 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Totals | 53 | 35 | 10 | 14 |
In addition 16 primary notifications and 7 non-primary notifications of
non-pulmonary tuberculosis were received.
The number on the Department's tuberculosis register at the beginning of
the year was 2,341. After adding primary notifications and transfers in, and
subtracting deaths, transfers out and recovered cases etc., the number on the
register fell to 1,947 by the end of the year.
The Department is able to provide a number of services for the tuberculous
and a summary of the help available is set out overleaf:-