[Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Sutton Coldfield Borough.

  • Sutton Coldfield (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1946
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Sutton Coldfield Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    36/36 (page 32)
    INFECTIOUS DISEASES. In the year under review, apart from a sharp increase in scarlet fever, there is no marked change in the incidence of infectious disease. The number of cases of scarlet fever notified is 87, compared with 37 notified in 1945. 64% of the infectious diseases are in the age group 5—10 years and 4% in the pre-school group. The case rate is 2-0 per 1,000 civilian population as compared with 1*38 for England and Wales. The mortality is nil. The incidence of diphtheria is much lower than the previous year, but of the two cases notified, one, a man of 27 years, unfortunately died. The Public Health Department has been informed that this last case was inoculated whilst in the Army. Forty-three nose and throat swabs were examined, of these three were reported as positive. Eight 8,000 units phials of anti-toxin were issued to practitioners, free of charge. Diphtheria Immunization. The number of children 0—14 years in the Borough artificially immunized at 31st December, 1946, is 85% of the total child population at these ages. The percentages at ages o—4 years and 5—14 years are respectively 70% and 94%. The latter figures compare with 59% and 92% at the end of 1945. During the year under review 473 children had complete courses of inoculations ; 437 in the age group 0—4 years and 36 in the age group 5—14 years. In pursuance of the policy of carrying out the inoculations in the 12—15 months age group, 328 out of the 437 inoculations were in the age group 12—24 months. These immunization returns are satisfactory, but in the period of the report 1 death from diphtheria has been recorded in the Borough in an inoculated person. Twenty-eight cases of measles were notified during the year, a great decrease from the previous year in which there was an epidemic showing 359 cases notified.