London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
-12-
Diphtheria immunisation
The following table shows the diphtheria immunisation work carried out during the year:-
| The following table shows the diphtheria immunisation work carried out during the year:- | |
| No. of pre-school children immunised | 1,189 |
| No. of school children immunised | 1,174 |
| Total no. of children attending for pre-immunisation schick tests | 976 |
| No. which gave positive re-action | 569 |
| No. of children presented for schick testing after having received immunising innoculations | 2,067 |
| No. proving negative | 1,770 |
| No. proving positive | 231 |
| No. who failed to attend for readings | 66 |
The total number of children of all ages immunised
during the year was 832 more than in 1941. This was due both
to the national publicity given to the work by the Ministry of
Health and to the special efforts of the health visiting staff,
who concentrated attention in securing the immunisation of
children not habitually attending the infant welfare centres.
The Council's immunisation scheme commenced in 1934,
and in the early days all immunisations were undertaken by
general practitioners, either in the patient's home or in the
doctor's surgery; the Council pay a fee for each treatment.
Subsequently, a clinic was opened at 304, Westbourne Grove, to
deal with those cases which did not go to private doctors.
During the year under review, additional immunisation sessions
have been held at the clinic and new sessions have been held
at the South Kensington infant welfare centre, Throughout the
year medical practitioners, acting on behalf of the Borough
Council, have, by arrangement with the London County Counoil,
visited the elementary schools for the purpose of immunising
children in attendance. The following table shows the steady
decline in the number of cases of diphtheria and. the number of
deaths, year by year, since the Council's scheme of immunisation
was first introduced:-
Year No. of diphtheria No. of deaths
cages notified,, from diphtheria,
1933 326 22
1934 384 14
1935 367 19
1936 142 11
1937 193 4
1938 177 8
1939 102 3
1940 54 4
1941 86 2
1942 78 2
Typhus fever.
Owing to typhus fever being prevalent in other
countries and the consequent danger of the spread of infection
to this country, the Borough Council, with the approval
of the Ministry of Health, took preliminary steps to
deal with any possible outbreak of the disease in the borough.
The scheme includes arrangements for doing disinfection and
delousing at the Kensington station for the adjoining boroughs
of Hammersmith, Chelsea, Fulham and Wesminister. Certain equipment
has been purchased. The cost, and any expenses incurred
during an outbreak of typhus fever, will be borne by the five
boroughs proportionately in the ratio of their respective
populations.