[Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, Christchurch Borough.

  • Christchurch (Dorset, England). Borough Council
Date:
1949
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, Christchurch Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/56 (page 7)
    TUBEKCULOSIS; I remarked in last year’s report on the new situation in the administration of the tuberculosis services introduced by the National Health Service Act, and expressed my apprehension that, in removing the control and treatment of this disease from the public health authorities, a step was being-taken which was likely to react unfavourably on the downward trend of the disease. It is too early yet to say whether these fears are justi- fied but they are widely held among public health ofilcers. The situation is of course accentuated by the desperate shortage of sanatorium beds which has coincided, and whereby large numbers of infectious cases must necessarily remain at home giving rise to prolonged risk to their contacts. On the face of it, it would seem inevitable that an increase in tuberculosis, particularly the pul- monary infection, must occur. Notification figures show an increase over the previous year’s high figure but the increase is not significant. New Cases and Mortality 1932 to 1949. New Cases. Deaths. Non- Noii- Pulmoiiary. Pulmonary. Pulmonary. Pulmonary. M. F. M. F. xM. F. M. F. 1932 1 7 - 3 2 3 - - 1936 4 4 2 1 1 - 2 - 1940 ... 10 1 2 4 5 1 - - 1944 5 2 2 2 1 2 - - 1945 ... 11 4 2 2 - 2 1 1 1946 8 7 1 2 6 - 1 - 1947 19 17 1 2 2 3 - - 1948 15 10 1 4 2 1 - 1 1949 ... 19 9 1 2 6 2 - - Towards the end of the year an enquiry was conducted into the present condition of a number of cases figuring on the tuber- culosis register of whom there was no recent information. As a result 40 names were removed from the register and there now remain 126 notified tuberculosis cases in the area, 102 suffering from pulmonary disease and 24 who have the disease elsewhere. It is a matter of some interest that there are 75 names re- maining on the register of patients notified as suffering f]ora tuberculosis since August, 1045 Of this number 30 are recorded as having moved into the district while suffering from the disease, that is, 40% of the total. It is thus seen how an area such as this may, because of its reputation as a health resort, contain a dis- proportionately large number of tuberculous persons, who may in turn, since the disease is an infectious one, do something to increase the number of native cases.