Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health / Nairobi Municipality.

  • Nairobi (Kenya). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1939]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health / Nairobi Municipality. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/56 (page 2)
    The longest periods without rain were 22 days during October, 21 days in June, and 19 days in July. The population of Nairobi is now estimated at 65,500, being an increase of 500 over last year. The disturbance due to war conditions caused large fluctuations especially towards the end of the year, many Asians leaving the country and many Africans temporarily leaving for their reserves. The number of births notified was somewhat less than last year, 1,392 against 1,436, the decrease mainly affecting African residents. • The birth rate for Asians increased slightly from 24.9 to 27.1, whilst the European rate decreased from 13.3 to 12.5 and the African rate decreased from 12.0 to 10.0. The natural increase for the European community amounted to 6.1 per 1,000 persons, for the Asian community 16.1, and for Africans 0.5 persons. This is the first occasion that births have exceeded deaths among Africans. The natural increase for all races of 5.3 per thousand persons shows a considerable increase over the figure of 1.8 for last year. The incidence of stillbirths was higher than last year among residents— 4.4% compared with 3.5% and among non-residents 10.5% compared with 5.6%, the difference in the figures for residents and non-residents being even more marked than in 1938. There were nearly 300 fewer deaths among residents in 1939 than last year. This considerable decrease in deaths is largely accounted for by fewer deaths from the pneumonias, only 165 being recorded compared with 365 last year. As this disease is not notifiable it is impossible to say definitely whether the low figure is due to the incidence or the mortality rate being lessened, in all probability the latter is the correct explanation, due to modern treatment. This reasoning is borne out by the percentage of pneumonia deaths to total deaths being reduced from 40.0% to 26.3% and also by the death rate for this disease decreasing from 5.5 per 1,000 persons to 2.5. The death rate improved from 13.93 to 9.56. The Asian death rate decreased from 13.94 to 11.01 and the African rate decreased from 15.37 to 9.48 whilst the rate for Europeans increased slightly from 5.84 to 6.32. The average of the death rate for all races over ten years now stands at 13.9. A graph showing the death rates for 14 years is included in the report. It is gratifying to be able to record a further continued decrease in the infant mortality rate. The infant mortality rate for all races during the year amounted to 180 per thousand births compared with 249 during last year. The rates for all the communities shared in the decrease, the European by 55, the Asian by 87 and fhe African by 58. A graph showing the infant mortality rates for the past six years is included in the report. Excluding malaria, the number of notifications of infectious diseases totalled 194 which compares favourably with the totals for previous years of 215, 179, and 176. Increases are noted for typhoid fever and diphtheria whilst there were fewer notifications in connection with tuberculosis, cerebrospinal meningitis and relapsing fever. Noteworthy were notifications of Encephalitis lethargica, acute anterior poliomyelitis, and Malta fever. The non-notifiable conditions, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and whooping cough have been present during the year, but with the exception of measles and mumps have not been so prevalent as last year. Admissions to hospital on account of infectious and communicable diseases were the same as last year but the total patient days were somewhat less, 7,883 against 8,043. Decreases were registered for cerebrospinal meningitis, chicken- pox, relapsing fever, typhus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough, while the