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
Penge 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Penge]
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The following is a return of the number of children resident in the district who were immunised against diphtheria during the year:—
| Children born 1953 to 1957 | Children born 1943 to 1952 | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary inoculations | 391 | 41 | 432 |
| Reinforcing | 4 | 346 | 350 |
| Penge children under the age of 15 years on the 31st December, 1957, who had completed a course of immunisation at any time before that date were as follows:— | |||
| Aged 0-4 years inclusive | 1,113 | ||
| „ 5-15 „ ,, | 4,193 | ||
No case was notified and one Penge contact of a case occurring elsewhere was reported.
The following shows the number of Penge residents who were vaccinated against smallpox during the year:—
| Age at 31/12/57 | Under 1 | 1 to 4 | 5 to 14 | 15 or over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccinated | 204 | 180 | 24 | 10 | 418 |
| Re-vaccinated | – | 1 | 5 | 9 | 15 |
Poliomyelitis
Three cases were notified during the year, one paralytic and two nonparalytic.
The following table gives the numbers of children in the district who received a course of two injections against poliomyelitis during the year ended 31st December, 1957:—
| Born | 1947 | 1948 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 202 | 137 1 134 | 135 | 47 | 20 | 26 | 20 | 43 | 39 | — | 813 |
Food Poisoning
An outbreak amongst three members of one family—which was not notified
—was traced to roast pork, the causal agent being Staphyloccocus aureus.
Scarlet Fever
There were 11 cases of scarlet fever notified (as against seven in 1956) and
four cases were removed to hospital.
The disease generally was of a mild type and there were no "return"
cases. No deaths were recorded.