[Report 1954-1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Salisbury (New Sarum) City.

  • Salisbury (England). City Council.
Date:
1955
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954-1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Salisbury (New Sarum) City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/114 (page 11)
    - 8 - Tatle of Vi-tests for Year. Ro. of Vi-tests negative. Ro. of Vi-tests Positive. Tota]. Cranborne Hostel. 270 11 281 Dairy Marketing Board. 205 4 209 Domestic Servants. 11 1 12 African Staff, Infectious Diseases Hospital. 21 - 21 507 16 523 The follov/ing table indicates the incidence of Enteric Fever in Salis' ur'j since the year 1934/35* From 1934 to 1949 the figures are the average antiual figures in five year periodss- ' European* Coloured'.' Asiatic* African. ‘Totid. 1934 - 39 - - _ - 16 1939 - 44 - - - - 13 1944 - 49 - - _ - 18 1949 - 54 - - _ - 22 1954 - 55 13 1 - 4 18 Bearing in mind the.fact that the incidence of Typhoid Fever is a reasonable guide to the environmental sanitation in any area, where one ta es into consideration the very considerable increase in the total estimated population of the City, these figures can bo considered as very satisfactory. 4. CEREBRO-SPII^AL KElJIITGITrS. There was a marked increase in the number of cases of this diS'.a;A^ , notified this year as compared v/ith last year's figure of 43- In all 110 oases were reported of which 105 occurred amongst the African population of the City. Four Europeans and one Asiatic suffered from the disease. As a prophylactic measure, Sulphonamide tablets were given to all immediate African contacts as well as reducing overcrowding in sleeping quarters v/here this was encouraged. From these relatively few cases it ia. difficult to assess the value of this Sulphonamide Prophylaxis in controlling the spread of this disease. The major factor in the epidemiology of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis is over—crowded, ill-ventilated sleeping quarters. This is well borne out by the fact, of the 829 cases of this disease notified to this Department bnt\..jen July 1949> and June 1955> 804 - i.e. 96^ were African cases as it is ai'iongst the African population of the City that over-crowded and poor housing conditions mainly are encountered. In addition the Ratives seem to have a poor dc-.^yre;.- of immunity to this disease as compared with Europeans. The following table indicates /-