OCR Text |
Show 'State Health Records Show Utah In Better Health in 1948 Utah's health record during 1948 was good and more than 20 under the median for the preceding five years, health reports show. There were 15,074 cases of common communi- cable diseases reported during 1948 compared with a five year average of 20,367 according to a morbidity report issued by Dr. A. A. Jenkins, state director of epidemic epi-demic disease control. These diseases (chickenpox, diphtheria, poliomeylitis, measeles, German measles, mumps, scarlet fdver, smlpox, and whooping cough) resulted in 21 deaths during dur-ing 1948 13 of them polio victims. vic-tims. The five year median death figure is 24. 3100 cases of other reportable illnesses which boosted the death toll to 867 during 1948 were reported. re-ported. Including in this report was cancer, which, with 677 cases reported, contributed 527 deaths to the year's total. There were 544 cases in 1947 and 526 deaths. Second largest killer was pneumonia pneu-monia with 349 cases and 159 deaths compared with a median rate of 657 cases and 171 deaths per year. Pulmonary and other tuberculosis tu-berculosis ranked third with 137 cases and 56 deaths. The median is 156 cases and 61 deaths. Childrens diseases were reported repor-ted to be less although diphtheria counted 158 cases . and 3 deaths during 1948 compared with five year record of only 16 cases and one death. Polio ibroke out with 206 cases and 19 deaths last year. The five year median is 146 cases and. 9 deaths. In 1947 there were only 28 cases and four deaths. German measles decreased (1942 to 120 average) 'as did mumps (from 4114 to 1952) and scarlet fever (from 1554 to 512) 685 cases and three deaths from whooping cough compared with an average of 1886 cases and five deaths were reported. repor-ted. Bronchitis took 18 deaths during dur-ing 1948 as compared to 17 cases and 14 deaths for the previous year. Control of venereal disease was on the improve during the year with 361 cases of gonorrhea and 396 cases of svnhilis compared with a rate of 687 and 722, respectively. res-pectively. There were no deaths for the former but the latter killed 24 persons. Most crippling disease, rheumatic rheu-matic fever, showed little signs of improving. In 1948 there were 104 cases and two deaths compared with a five year median of 109 cases and 10 deaths. Virtual freedom from influenza was the biggest contributor in the report of that disease. There were only 780 cases and 19 deaths reported re-ported from the flu as compared with an average for the five preceding pre-ceding years of 11,416 cases and 48 deaths, annually. |