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

Bexley 1965

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bexley]

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Council's employ, i.e. doctors, nurses, staff at residential old people's homes and at children's
homes and to key personnel in other departments. The residents in old people's homes were also
vaccinated with the agreement of the resident's own doctor. Approximately 500 persons were
protected in each year.
Stocks of vaccines and lymph for smallpox vaccination are held in the department and are
available to general practitioners on request.
Protection against tuberculosis is offered for children and young adults and also to children
who are known contacts of a case of tuberculosis. Skin tests are first carried out in all such
persons to ascertain whether they have already acquired protection naturally and all who are not
so protected are offered B.C.G. vaccination. The following table shows the number of persons
under 16 years of age protected against various diseases in the years 1965 — 1969. The table does
not record the number of injections given as some of the vaccines are combined and given as a
single injection, e.g. diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough; diphtheria and whooping cough;
diphtheria and tetanus.
As all categories of staff in the Health Department could be required to assist in controlling an
outbreak of smallpox and would thereby be exposed to risk of infection, all staff are advised to be
re-vaccinated at two yearly intervals and a register is kept of the vaccination state of all members.

Table: Reminders are given when re-vaccination is due. Staff who have never been vaccinated, or for whom it is inadvisable, are thus known to the Medical Officer of Health and can be excluded from any emergency duties involving risk of infection.

Reminders are given when re-vaccination is due. Staff who have never been vaccinated, or for whom it is inadvisable, are thus known to the Medical Officer of Health and can be excluded from any emergency duties involving risk of infection.

19651966196719681969
PrimaryReinforcementPrimaryReinforcementPrimaryReinforcementPrimaryReinforcementPrimaryReinforcement
Smallpox1855—231272479232574101610119
Diphtheria2653357433744740339646253453506513425118
Whooping Cough2653292133452695336224613386289613072554
Tetanus2659357433824740343346253453514714135214
Poliomyelitis3158200839292725338841803371413113425044
Measles------5163-3035-
B.C.G. Contacts253-232-276-208-187-
School Children, etc.815—3352-1569-1524-102-

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TUBERCULOSIS, CARE AND AFTER CARE
The Health Department's interest in tuberculosis is primarily concerned with the prevention of
spread of the disease. Treatment is a matter for the patient's private doctor and the clinic and
hospital facilities of the Consultant Chest Physicians of the Regional Hospital Board. The Health
Department has responsibilities for the after-care of patients under Section 28 of the National
Health Service Act 1946 and these are largely delegated to the London Borough of Bexley Chest
and Heart Care Committee, to which an annual grant of £220 is made by the Council.
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