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
Orpington 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Orpington]
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42
to the risk of contracting smallpox, should an outbreak occur in
this district. Owing to the difficulty of differentiating smallpox
from chickenpox and other diseases, any weakening of the link
between the Medical Officer of Health, General Practitioners
and Hospitals, would increase the risk of the spread of smallpox.
I am happy to say this link is locally a strong one.
All contacts of smallpox cases which occurred in other parts
of the country and who became residents in the district were
kept under daily surveillance for the necessary period of 16 days
No cases developed in these contacts.
The following figures, which have been furnished by the County Medical Officer, show the number of persons who were vaccinated against smallpox during the year 1950 :
| Age at 31st December, 1950 | Under 1 | 1 to 4 | 5 to 14 | 15 or Over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number Vaccinated | 337 | 279 | 46 | 35 | 697 |
| Number Re-Vaccinated | — | 6 | 33 | 149 | 188 |
Scarlet Fever.
One hundred and twenty-six cases were notified (245 during
1949) 71 of which were treated in hospital and 55 home nursed.
The infection continued to be mild in character and no deaths
from this disease were recorded.
The continued lack of seriousness in the symptoms of this
disease in the majority of cases, gives just cause for gratification,
but whether this is a temporary or permanent feature will only
be able to be judged with the passage of time. If one studies
the incidence and life history of scarlet fever over the years, it
is a striking fact that this has been subject to periodical waves
of alternating seriousness and mildness and it may well be that
we are now in the trough of the wave with the crest to be found
at some future date. Whether this present attenuation is due to
a building up in the resistance of the population or to a weakening
in virulence of the infecting organism is not clear, but
whatever the cause, the possible course of this disease will need
constant vigilance.
Diphtheria.
There were no cases of diphtheria notified during the year
in Orpington, and the continued absence of this disease gives
cause for considerable gratification. The diphtheria immunisation
campaign is still being kept up, but despite this, there is
still quite a large percentage of children who have never been
immunised. It is, therefore, impossible to say that immunisation
is the only factor concerned in the control of this disease.