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

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

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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

    6/48 (page 6)
    Infestation. The arrangements for the control of infestation continued to operate successfully during the year. The fact that the Health Visitors are also School Nurses greatly simplifies the control of verminous and contagious conditions, as the nurses are able to use their personal knowledge of the families on their respective districts to concentrate on the homes in most need of help. Regular uncleanliness surveys were carried out in the schools and in the homes of children under school age. Parents of children found to be verminous were apprised and given advice as to cleansing, and cases were followed up to prevent re-occurrence. Of the 30,565 examinations of school children during the year, 597 individual children were found unclean, while the number of children under school age found to be unsatis- factory was again very small indeed. Treatment for Scabies and verminous conditions continued to be carried out at the Skin Treatment Centre, and the follow- ing table shows the number and types of cases dealt with during the year. Condition Under 5. 5-15 yrs. Adults Totals. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. Scabies 40 73 143 127 168 216 351 416 Scabies with Verminous Body 3 3 Scabies with Verminous Head 1 1 2 Head Lice ... — 2 — 49 — 3 — 54 Verminous Body ... — — — 4 5 — 5 4 MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE. (Appendices 18-22). Maternal Mortality. There were 4 maternal deaths in 1946, giving a maternal death rate of 2.8 per 1,000 total births. Although the rate was high compared with 1945 when there was only 1 death, giving a rate of 0.81, it is about the average for the last five years. Infant Mortality. It is indeed gratifying to be able to report a low infant mortality rate of 30.9 per 1,000 live birhs as com- pared with a rate of 43 for England and Wales. Thirty years ago, the rate in Chesterfield was 120, and though many factors have influenced the fall in infant mortality, there is no doubt