London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Poplar 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Metropolitan Borough]
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89
The incidence of Smallpox in houses is shown below.
Cases.
18 houses in which 1 case of Smallpox occurred 18
12 ,, ,, 2 cases ,, ,, 24
11 ,, ,, 3 cases ,, ,, 33
4 ,, ,, 4 cases ,, ,, 16
1 ,, ,, 5 cases ,, ,, 5
5 ,, ,, 6 cases ,, ,, 30
2 ,, ,, 7 cases ,, ,, 14
Total 140
Total number of cases 140
„ „ houses 53
In Table II it will be seen that of the 140 cases no less than 118 were
unvaccinated, and that in this group nearly 95 per cent. of the cases
occurred before the age of 35, whereas in the vaccinated group all except
two of the cases occurred after the age of 35. The vaccinated cases were
vaccinated once only—in infancy.
TABLE II.
Age, Sex and Vaccinated State of Cases of Smallpox.
| Ages. | Under 5 years. | 5— | 10— | 15— | 20— | 35— | 45— | 65 and over. | All Ages. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccinated | M. | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | 6 | – | 8 | 22 |
| F. | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 9 | 1 | 14 | ||
| Unvaccinated | M. | 6 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 13 | – | 1 | – | 49 | 118 |
| F. | 7 | 10 | 21 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 3 | – | 69 | ||
| Totals | 13 | 21 | 28 | 19 | 33 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 140 | ||
The type of disease continued mild. Only one death occurred, a
boy, aged 2 years, and after a postmortem examination the cause of death
was certified "I(a), Acute miliary Tuberculosis; II, Smallpox,
unvaccinated.''
No cases were removed from a Common Lodging House.