§ Mr. GRUNDYasked the Minister of Health if he can state the number of cases of scarlet fever and of diphtheria notified in the county of London in the months of September and October, and how many cases have been treated in the institutions of the Metropolitan Asylums Board; and whether any difficulty has been experienced by the various borough councils in finding accommodation for infectious cases?
§ Dr. ADDISONThe following was the number of cases notified in the county of London during the months of
Sept. October. Scarlet fever 1,205 2,017 Diphtheria 775 1,074 The following was the number of cases admitted to hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board:
Sept. October. Scarlet fever 1,100 1,502 Diptheria 750 925 Some difficulty has been experienced during the last six weeks in accommodating all the cases for which admission was sought; the chief causes being:
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- (a) The substantial increase in the number of fever cases this autumn as compared with the numbers for the past five years. On 13th November there were 1,589 more eases in hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board than on any date last year;
- (b) The fact that the military who have had the use of six of the Board's hospitals during the War have not yet evacuated all of them;
- (c) The difficulty in securing all the nurses and domestic staff required, a difficulty accentuated by the reduction of working hours;
- (d) The allocation of beds in some hospitals to meet urgent demands for ac commodation for tuberculous soldiers.
At the present date, 17th November, the difficulty has virtually been overcome, so far as can be judged from the cases now being applied for from day to day by the borough councils.