[Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Ely U.D.C.

  • Ely (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1943
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Ely U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1/2 (page 1)
    .JBRAfT^ • ’ \ v „ *Ethe!ldreda House* SLY5 Carribs. 21st April, 1945• To The Chairman & Members , Ely Urban District Council. Madam and Gentlemen, I regret the delay in presenting, Health, my report for 194-3* It will be remembered that my predecessor resigned on the 3.1st March, 1943* My appointment was not -approved until mid- August of the same year despite the fact that I had already been approached-by your Clerk during March* During the 4-fjr months inter val there was no-Medical Officer of Health for the Urban District and statistical returns only were kept by the Clerk, I must emphasise that from the months of April to mid-August the Urban District Council had no local Medical Officer of Health on'its stafi The delay was not of my making and was, I am given to under- stand, due to the apparent slowness of higher authority in sanc- tioning my appointment. When I did take up the appointment I found no records of any work done during brief first quarter of the year. I formally and most definitely disclaim responsibility for any statistics, or their absence, or any work dono or not done prior to. August, 194-3* I oocupiod the remaining months of this year by picking up the many loose threads I found, and at the same time doing such routine work of an urgent nature which presented itself. Xn view of my remarks above, I think it will be clear that I have insufficient facts and figures on which to base a Public Health Report for the Urban District of Ely during this year. I propose, therefore, to confine myself to noting a few reasonably outstanding facts relating to the latter part of the year of which I have personal knowledge. This method will effect also an economy in pap or l 1. Infectious Diseases. The returns show no abnormal features, apart from an epidemic of measles occurring during the last 3 months of the ye a. This reached its peak during the middle fortnight of October. Fortunately, the typo of case was mild and there Twere few compile tions. Doubtless the unsuitable school buildings in Ely, on which I ha.vo commented in the past, are factors which should be taken into account when considering this epidemic«, Out of 84 cases, 53 cases were in the 5-10 age group. #I nust draw your ttention to one point which may or may noi be significant. During the first 23 days of October 44 cases of measles wore notified, the peak week being the week ending 23.10 wnen 3.7 cases wore notified. There was then, a very sharp decline and up to the end of the yean there were only two weeks (27.11 »4: O' c uses $ ll.i2.43. - 9 cases) when more ''than 3 cases a week were received. The Market Street Infants’ School was closed for three weeks on 12.10.43, I am more than ever convinced of the desirabiD of closing schools, especially Infants* Schools, during an epidemic of Infactious Disease.