Annual report / City of Calgary, Department of Public Health.

  • Calgary (Alta.). Health Department
Date:
[1942]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report / City of Calgary, Department of Public Health. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/72 (page 6)
    stations, the spread of any disease t; at evitably takes place between one group and another can not be avoided* Mumps, Measles and Scarlet Fever are three diseases difficult to control in barrack life. 218 cases of Scarlet Fever occurred amongst the Active Service men* It is regretable that the Department has to report the occurrence of 17 cases of Diphtheria throughout the year with three deaths. Diphtheria is one disease against which we have proved protection and whilst a very nice percentage of the City!s children have received this protection (in the vicinity of 45$), the larger percentage are not protected* It is this latter fact that is responsible for the ever present danger of a real outbreak of the disease in the City. Relatively speaking every child not having been immunized is susceptible to Diphtheria. Many centres in Canada, notably Hamilton, takes justifiable pride in their freedom from Diphtheria year by year due to nothing else other than the high percentage of immunes amongst the child population. There was one Typhoid case reported in the City during 1942. The case resided in the West part of the City and gave a history of drinking water at Lowery Gardens. Whether the condition was attributable to drinking water from the Bow River or not, could not be ascertained. It is known however, that the water from the Bow is heavily contaminated. IMMUNIZATION It will be observed that there has been a marked increase in the number immunized by the Department as compared with the number reported in 194l. The increase is as follows# 1942 1941 Against Diphtheria 2,255 688“ Against Scarlet Fever Combined Scarlet Fever and 101 12 Diphtheria 27 81 Total 2.3S3 781 Vaccinations against Small ?ox 314 l64. The Department serves as a distributing centre for immunologicals and it will be noted there was a considerable increase in the humber of these preparations distributed for use by the doctors in the City and district. It matters little whether an individual is immunized in the Health Department or by the family physician, the aim being to bring about the highest possible degree of immuniza¬ tion against those diseases for which we have known and proved preventives. The work done by the Public Health Nurse in this connection is shown below! JAH KBi MARi m MAY; JUNl JLY AUG; SFP1 P O 11-3 J. NOV: DEC 1 TOTAL Inoculations 2481 208| 357; 682:16372063 989 362 236:315 285 241 7623 Swabs taken \ 9 is; 12! 6 1 M , 2 — 48 Vaccinations ll! 26 31 43: 3Sl 20 .5 61; 27: 18; 12 .3.14. Dick Tests 27! lj 1 26 1 2 3 .. ; 32 36 128 ll ll! 6 46; 6? 18 4 1 33 2 184 Tuberculin Tests 1| 1; 100 43: — 2 - 92 57 2 11 .3.09 Investigations made 13! 19 17 101 13 13 7 _9 19 23 27] 9. 179 Total visits made 109 105:115 109 96 94 97 117 113 106 125; 96 1281 Reaction tests -1 - -1 7j 6 - - - - - _13