Report of the Medical Officer of Health on the public health and sanitary circumstances of Johannesburg.

  • Johannesburg (South Africa)
Date:
[1973]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health on the public health and sanitary circumstances of Johannesburg. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    24/92 (page 14)
    In order of numerical importance the first 4 final diagnoses in Whites were gastro-enteritis, viral hepatitis, meningo¬ encephalitis and bacterial meningitis. In the case of non-Whites measles was the most frequent diagnosis. There were 350 (336) cases of gastro-enterit is in Whites at the Fever Hospital, of whom 2 died. All cases admitted suffering from this disease were private cases. Considering the high number of admissions, the mortality rate was low. Viral hepatitis was made a notifiable disease in Johannesburg at the end of 1966. Though many cases were admitted to hospital in 1973, very few have been Australia antigen positive in contrast to findings in 1972. A number of cases originally referred with the provisional diagnosis of viral hepatitis proved to be suffering from malaria. There were no deaths in Whites but 7 in Blacks. A total of 338 suspected cases of meningo-encephalitis in Whites were admitted but only 171 finally confirmed. This disease is epidemiologically important, but in the vast majority of cases it is a relatively benign condition with rapid recovery and few sequelae. Nevertheless there were 2 deaths. A total of 73 Whites were diagnosed as suffering from bacterial meningitis, 4 dying of meningococcal infection. Measles cases showed a welcome reduction in number. In Whites there were 92 (253) admissions, 46 (157) with complications or double pathology. There were no White fatalities. Of the 652 cases in Blacks, 244 local cast's accounted for l6 out of 43 deaths. In Blacks diphtheria occurred in 3 local and 4 imported cases with one death. Two local and 2 imported cases of poliomyelitis were admitted to the C.M.R. Hospital as well as 8 cases from other local authorities. No diphtheria or poliomyelitis cases occurred in Whites. The rapid detection of one cast? of cholera and its detention at the Fever Hospital was followed by identification and surveillance of 9 contacts. Twenty-two cases of typhoid were notified, 19 of which occurred in Blacks. In addition, 15 cases were admitted to the C.M.R. Hospital from other local authorities. Two cases of trypanosomiasis and 28 cases of malaria contracted these diseases outside the municipal boundaries.