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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
Willesden 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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13
The Medical Research Council has already produced evidence to show that whooping cough vaccination
is effective and we should be able to obtain more evidence of its value in the future, particularly if
there is an increase in the number of young infants who are vaccinated.
Whooping Cough Cases and Deaths : Willesden and England and Wales
| Year | Population | Child population (estimated) | Number of cases confirmed | No. of deaths | Case rate per 1,000 population | Death rate per 1,000 population | No of children vaccinated in Willesden | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 5—15 | Willesden | England & Wales | Willesden | England & Wales | Willesden | England & Wales | Willesden | England & Wales | |||
| 1936 | 190,000 | - | - | 743 | - | 12 | 1918 | 3.91 | — | .06 | .05 | — |
| 1937 | 188,030 | — | — | 626 | — | 11 | 1600 | 3.33 | — | .06 | .04 | — |
| 1938 | 187,600 | — | — | 277 | — | 3 | 1052 | 1.48 | — | .02 | .03 | — |
| 1939 | 188,000 | — | — | 672 | — | 5 | 1229 | 3.57 | — | .03 | .03 | — |
| 1940 | 152,030 | — | — | 82 | 53,607 | 2 | 678 | .54 | 1.34 | .01 | .02 | — |
| 1941 | 127,230 | — | — | 505 | 173,330 | 5 | 2383 | 3.97 | 4.47 | .04 | .06 | — |
| 1942 | 138,600 | 10,000 | 15,500 | 460 | 66,016 | 4 | 799 | 3.32 | 1.73 | .03 | .02 | — |
| 1943 | 144,430 | 10,424 | 17,480 | 238 | 96,136 | 3 | 1114 | 1.65 | 2.54 | .02 | .03 | — |
| 1944 | 139,510 | 11,440 | 17,740 | 401 | 94,044 | 4 | 1054 | 2.87 | 2.49 | .03 | .03 | — |
| 1945 | 161,954 | 12,460 | 18,430 | 215 | 62,691 | 3 | 689 | 1.33 | 1.64 | .02 | .02 | — |
| 1946 | 170,550 | 13,191 | 20,389 | 377 | 92,936 | 4 | 808 | 2.21 | 2.29 | .02 | .02 | — |
| 1947 | 175,900 | 15,107 | 20,830 | 571 | 92,682 | 6 | 905 | 3.25 | 2.22 | .03 | .02 | — |
| 1948 | 179,900 | 15,544 | 20,663 | 423 | 146,410 | 2 | 748 | 2.35 | 3.42 | .01 | .02 | — |
| 1949 | 181,120 | 15,270 | 21,430 | 205 | 102,816 | — | 527 | 1.13 | 2.39 | Nil | .01 | 1615 |
| 1950 | 181,700 | 14,930 | 22,410 | 648 | 157,781 | 2 | 394 | 3.57 | 3.60 | .01 | .01 | 822 |
| 1951 | 179,647 | 13,847 | 22,995 | 543 | 169,441 | — | 456 | 3.02 | 3.87 | Nil | .01 | 1163 |
| 1952 | 180,400 | 13,846 | 24,000 | 328 | 114,869 | 1 | 184 | 1.82 | 2.61 | .00 | .00 | 946 |
| 11953 | 178,500 | 13,455 | 24,000 | 450 | 157,829 | — | 243 | 2-52 | 3.58 | Nil | .01 | 1,333 |
Pneumonia and Influenza
228 cases of pneumonia were notified in 1953 (208 confirmed). There were 85 deaths from
broncho-pneumonia, lobar pneumonia and pneumonia (unspecified), and 15 deaths from influenza.
Other Infectious Diseases
| Disease | Cases notified (number confirmed in brackets) |
|---|---|
| Typhoid fever | - (-) |
| Dysentery | 180 (139) |
| Malaria | 2 (—) |
| Poliomyelitis and polio-encephalitis | 26 (14) |
| Meningococcal infection | 10 (6) |
| Encephalitis | 3 (2) |
| Smallpox | - (-) |
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis did not reach epidemic proportions in 1953. There were 26 notifications; 22 patients
were admitted to Neasden Hospital, 3 to other hospitals, and one case (non-paralytic) was nursed at home.
Only 14 actually had the disease confirmed, 11 in the age group 0-15 years and 3 over the age of 15 years.
Five had the non-paralytic type of the disease, 6 had slight paralysis and 3 had severe paralysis. There
was one death from the disease, a man aged 27 years, who was admitted to Central Middlesex Hospital
on the 8th April, transferred to the Neasden Hospital the following day, and died the same evening.
There were 3 notifications of encephalitis. 2 were confirmed, a woman of 63 years and a child of
2 years 3 months. The woman was admitted to the Central Middlesex Hospital on the 10th March suffering
from cerebral anoxaemia ( Pacute encephalitis) and died on the 13th March; a diagnosis of acute encephalitis
was made at the post mortem. The other notification was for a girl of 3 years, who was admitted to
the Neasden Hospital and finally diagnosed as tonsillitis.
Dysentery
180 cases were notified in 1953 (139 confirmed). There were 3 outbreaks of dysentery during the
year:—
(1) On the 15th June, 1953, six children were removed from the Central Middlesex Children's Homes to
the Neasden Isolation Hospital. One child was found to be a carrier and isolated from the remaining
children in the nursery. The infection cleared up rapidly and the home was out of quarantine on the
7th July, 1953.
(2) On the 24th August, 1953, 3 members of the staff and 10 out of the 13 children in Connaught House
Nursery were affected; only 1 adult and 1 child showed any symptoms. 7 children and 1 adult were
removed to Neasden Isolation Hospital and the remaining 3 children were isolated in the Home.
The infection cleared up rapidly and the Home was out of quarantine on 15th September, 1953.