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
London County Council 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Where vaccination is carried out by general practitioners, a fee of 5s. is paid
by the Council to the practitioner for completing the record of vaccination, as in
the case of immunisation against diphtheria.
Residential
establishments
for children
in London
Ministry of Health Memorandum 312/MED (1948) advocated the vaccination
of all children up to the age of 5 years and after that only if they were exposed to
smallpox infection. Re-vaccination for those primarily vaccinated in infancy was
recommended at about 5+ and again at school leaving age, the re-vaccination at
5+ being dispensed with in the case of a child who had been primarily vaccinated
within the previous twelve months. Vaccination or re-vaccination of children
accommodated at the Council's residential establishments for children in London
is carried out by the visiting medical officers on the lines recommended by the
Ministry subject to parental consent. At the end of the year, 60 per cent. of the
children in residence at the seven Council nurseries in London had been vaccinated
or were awaiting vaccination. Of the remainder, parental consent had either been
refused or was awaited.
The significant drop in the number of infants vaccinated following the repeal of
the Vaccination Acts has persisted and at the end of the year the percentage of
infants born during the year who had been vaccinated was only 25. This may be
only a temporary drop as the fees for records of vaccinations by general practitioners
were not fixed until the end of 1949.
The following tables give particulars of the number of persons who were
vaccinated either at welfare centres or by general practitioners:—
| Age at 31st Dec., 1949 | Under 1 | 1 to 4 | 5 to 14 | 15 or over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i.e. born in years: | 1949 | 1945 to 1948 | 1935 to 1944 | Before 1935 | |
| 1 | 3,513 | 213 | 38 | 60 | 3,824 |
| 2 | 1,959 | 1,483 | 138 | 195 | 3,775 |
| 3 | 1,073 | 839 | 52 | 89 | 2,053 |
| 4 | 1,090 | 677 | 57 | 123 | 1,947 |
| 5 | 395 | 295 | 38 | 55 | 783 |
| 6 | 1,119 | 693 | 56 | 56 | 1,923 |
| 7 | 920 | 836 | 52 | 102 | 1,910 |
| 8 | 1,411 | 1,091 | 71 | 67 | 2,640 |
| 9 | 2,416 | 70 | 7 | 159 | 2,652 |
| Totals | 13,896 | 6,197 | 508 | 906 | 21,507 |
| 1 | 197 | 13 | 26 | 288 | 524 |
| 2 | - | 18 | 61 | 885 | 964 |
| 3 | - | 9 | 6 | 191 | 206 |
| 4 | - | 4 | 21 | 233 | 258 |
| 5 | - | 2 | 14 | 137 | 153 |
| 6 | 2 | 21 | 23 | 136 | 182 |
| 7 | 4 | 6 | 41 | 246 | 297 |
| 8 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 185 | 208 |
| 9 | 115 | 1 | - | 4 | 120 |
| Totals | 320 | 79 | 208 | 2,305 | 2,912 |
No cases of generalised vaccinia or post-vaccinal encephalomyelitis and no
deaths from other complications arising from vaccination were reported.
Residential
establishments
for children
outside
London
The arrangements for vaccination, as for diphtheria and whooping cough
immunisation, are made by the local health authority in whose area the establishment
is situated. The visiting medical officers, who are, as a general rule, local
general practitioners, perform vaccination or re-vaccination according to the
recommendations of the Ministry of Health. At the end of the year, 73 per cent. of