[Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Watford U.D.C. / Borough.

  • Watford (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1955
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Watford U.D.C. / Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/42 (page 3)
    Health Department, Tovm Hall, WATFORD. October, 1956, TO THE VJORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS. Ladles and Gentlenan, I have the honour to present my Annual Report upon the work of the Public Health Department for the year 1955, A survey of some of the princlra.4 vital statistics gives grounds for satisfaction. The infantile mortality rate fell to the remarkably lov; level of 13,4 per thousand related live births. This figure Is the lov/est ever re¬ corded In the Borough and Is considerably lov/er tlian the figure for England and Wales (24,9), It Is even more reraarl^able v/hen one recalls that at about the beginning of this century the national figure ms in the region of 150, It still exceeded 50 In 1938. This decline In Infant deaths is eloquent testimony to the efforts of all who work in the field of child care, but It must not be forgotten that Improved social and economic conditions liave also played dn Important part in bringing It about. There were no mtemal deaths during the year. There v/ere no large scale outbreaks of Infectious disease and it Is satisfactory to record that there v/ere no cases of dliSitherla, The last case recorded In the Borough v/as In 1951, This disease has almost, but not quite, been conquered. The need therefore to press on with out Immunisation campaign is as great as ever It was “ in fact vie may have to Increase our efforts in order to counteract a tendency to complacency In the generation navi growing up which has never knovm the horror of dij^theria. There v/ere eight cases of poliomyelitis during the year, seven being of the paralytic form and one a non-paralytic case. One death occurred. In a year v/hen, over the country as a whole, the Incidence of this disease v/as unduly high, v/e may consider ourselves fortunate in not having had a higher incidence. It is sad to reflect that notwithstanding the spectacular successes of preventive medicine In so many other directions v/e have so far in the case of poliomyelitis, been pov/erless to check the progress of this disease v/hich so gravely menaces the health of our young people. Happily research appears to liave produced an effec¬ tive antidote and hopes are high that the nev/ vaccines v/hen available will con¬ vey a substantial Iranunlty a^Inst this disease. The remarkable decline in the death rate frcmi tuberculosis of recent years vas halted somev/hat during the year under reviev/, seven deaths having occurred compared with four the previous year. The number of nev/ notifications, hov/ever, renal ns at about the usual average of 80 cases per annum and v/e must continue to regard this as a matter for serious concern and a stimulus to further efforts to overcome this essentially preventable disease v/hIch still presents a serious medical and social problent