Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia.

  • Southern Rhodesia. Department of Health.
Date:
[1952]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (II) Causes of European Deaths, 1946'1950. 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 Total Percentage of Total Deaths 1.—Heart Diseases . 185 152 165 123 127 752 19-3 2.—Malignant Disease . 126 129 97 108 86 546 140 3.—Nervous Diseases. 78 83 75 70 75 381 9-8 4. —Violence . 5. —Premature Birth and Diseases of 95 81 81 70 53 380 9-8 early Infancy. 65 65 55 62 38 285 7-3 6.—Pneumonia and Bronchitis 26 29 35 26 41 157 40 7.—Malaria and Blackwater Fever . . 14 18 32 25 34 123 3-2 8.—Tuberculosis (all forms) 11 13 23 8 11 66 1-7 9.—Diarrhoea and Enteritis 14 10 8 18 5 55 1-4 10.—Old Age. 9 6 11 10 16 52 1-3 11.—Influenza . 8 6 4 3 8 29 0-7 12.—Poliomyelitis . 8 1 3 6 19 0-5 13.—Enteric Fever . 3 5 4 2 4 18 0-5 14.—Dysentery . 8 2 5 2 1 18 0-5 15.—Diphtheria . 4 4 1 1 4 14 0-4 16.—Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis . . 5 1 2 1 1 10 0-2 17.—Other Causes . 201 203 220 188 177 989 25-4 TOTAL . 860 808 821 718 687 3,894 100-0 The details of the causes of European deaths appear at Appendix C where they are classified in accordance with the Intermediate List of 150 causes. During 1950 deaths were classified in accordance with the Sixth Decennial Revision, and the form of death certificate recommended in W.H.O. Regulations No. 1, was also introduced during the year. (7) Maternal Mortality. European Maternal Deaths, 1941'1950. Puerperal sepsis . No. of Deaths 19 Percen' tage 34.5 Puerperal haemorrhage . 10 18.2 Other accidents of child birth . 10 18.2 Puerperal albuminuria and convulsions . 8 14.6 Accidents of Pregnancy . 7 12.7 Other causes. 1 1.8 55 100.0 The maternal mortality has more than trebled since 1949, when there were only two maternal deaths. The vast majority of European births take place in maternity homes, 93 per cent, of the total. The maternal mortality in institutional confinements was 1.57 per 1,000 live births, the equivalent rate for home confine' ments is 9.44 per 1,000. It therefore appears that, despite the overcrowding and pressure on maternity home accommodation, it is safer for the mother to be confined in an institution, than in her own home where facilities may be poor and skilled help not always available. Chapter II.—INFECTIOUS AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. (1) Notification of Infectious Disease. The efforts to improve the notification of infectious disease have met with some success and it is believed that this is now being more accurately done than in previous years. 1. Convention Diseases. Disease *Cholera . * Plague . ^Smallpox. *Typhus fever * Yellow Fever (exanthematous) European ]\[on'European Cases Deaths Cases Deaths 5 2 1,029 221