ABSTRACT
Demography is the study of human populations. Children under 15 years make up approximately one-third of the world’s population. One-quarter (~350 million) live in developed countries and three-quarters (~1050 million) in developing countries. The UK currently has a population of 11 million children, and there are approximately 500 000 births per year. Each family doctor has approximately 2500 patients in his/her practice and, of these, about 450 are under 15 years. With the present birth rate in England and Wales of ~13.5/1000 total population, there will be between 30 and 35 births per practice each year. By far the most common paediatric disorders are those of the respiratory system. Accidents, acute respiratory illness, fevers, convulsions and acute gastrointestinal upsets are the commonest reasons for acute referral to hospital. The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) collects data for England and Wales on births, childhood mortality, communicable diseases, congenital malformations, hospital admissions and other surveys, which it publishes regularly. Some diseases are legally notifiable to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, in particular those that are included in the immunization programme (e.g. mumps, measles, rubella, Haemophilus influenzae infection), acute meningitis, food poisoning and dysentery and tuberculosis. The British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) was set up in 1986 to enable paediatricians to participate in the epidemiological surveillance of uncommon disorders affecting children. This unit increases awareness of less common disorders and allows a rapid response to public health emergencies. Disorders currently being studied include cerebral oedema following diabetic ketoacidosis, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, hepatitis C infection, Reye’s syndrome, medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and HIV/AIDS infection.
