[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Blyth Borough.

  • Blyth (Northumberland, England). Borough Council.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Blyth Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR THE YEAR 1964 Your Worship, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present to you the Annual Report on the Public Health and Sanitary Conditions in the Borough during the year 1964. The Registrar General’s estimated population was 36,320, which is a decrease of 120 from 1963. The number of live births was 633, a decrease of 27 from 1963. This gave an uncorrected birth rate of 17.4 per 1,000 population. The number of deaths fell from 413 in 1963 to 383, a decrease of 30. The crude death rate was 10.5 per 1,000 population. The number of infant deaths rose from eleven to fourteen. Not a spectacular rise, it is true, but a change in the wrong direction. The Infant Mortality Rate was 22.1 per 1,000 live births. I must stress the need for proper ante natal care, starting as early in pregnancy as possible. The facilities are there. It is imperative that the slightest deviation from normal be noted in pregnancy. Abnormalities occurring in the mother can have grave consequences to the unborn child, e.g. prematurity, birth injury, blood disease and other con- genital defects. Regular consultation with general prac- titioner, mid-wife and health visitor is essential if these defects are to be avoided. Infectious disease notifications were mainly measles. There were no cases of diphtheria, whooping cough or food poisoning. There were 14 cases of pulmonary tuber- culosis notified, which was one more than in 1963. It should be noted, however, that the case rate per 1,000 population has fallen from 15.2 in 1955 to 6.2 in 1964. Meals on Wheels continue to be administered by the Old Peoples’ Welfare Committee and 3,744 meals were delivered during 1964.