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
Willesden 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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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 years | 5—15 years | Willesden | England & Wales | Willesden | England & Wales | Willesden | England & Wales | Willesden | England & Wales | |||
| 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 |
| 1953 | 178,500 | 13,455 | 24,000 | 450 | 157,842 | —- | 243 | 2.52 | 3.58 | Nil | .01 | 1,333 |
| 1954 | 177,300 | 13,110 | 23,857 | 295 | 105,901 | 1 | 130 | 1.66 | 2.39 | .006 | .002 | 1,198 |
| 1955 | 176,000 | 12,948 | 23,857 | 171 | 79,092 | — | 88 | .97 | 1.80 | Nil | .00 | 1,020 |
Pneumonia and Influenza
124 cases of pneumonia were notified (116 confirmed). There were 92 deaths from bronchopneumonia,
lobar pneumonia and pneumonia (unspecified), and 7 deaths from influenza.
Other Infectious Diseases
| Disease | Cases notified (number confirmed in brackets) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typhoid fever | - | |
| Dysentery | 140 | (104) |
| Malaria | 1 | (-) |
| Poliomyelitis and polio-encephalitis | 176 | (136) |
| Meningococcal infection | 5 | (4) |
| Encephalitis | 2 | (2) |
| Smallpox | — | - |
| Paratyphoid | 5 | (4) |
Poliomyelitis
For the whole year 176 notifications were received and 136 were confirmed (112 non-paralytic, 24
paralytic) ; 89 were in the age group 0-15 years and 47 over the age of 15 years.
The largest outbreak of poliomyelitis recorded in Willesden occurred during the period of 16 weeks
from the 13th July until the 31st October. 161 notifications were received, and 126 were confirmed (104 nonparalytic,
22 paralytic).
The proportion of confirmed cases was higher than in any previous year, and much higher than in
tl e two previous outbreaks in 1947 and 1949 ((see Table I).
Table I
| 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | July-Oct. 1955 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notifications | 89 | 16 | 54 | 19 | 5 | 11 | 26 | 21 | 161 |
| Confirmed | 45 | 11 | 33 | 12 | - | 5 | 14 | 10 | 126 |
| Percentage | 50.5 | 68.7 | 61.1 | 63.1 | — | 45.4 | 53.8 | 47.6 | 78.2 |
The peak of the outbreak was reached early in the last week of July and in the first week of August,
although the numbers remained fairly high in the last two weeks of August and the first week of September.
They were then reduced rapidly, coming practically to an end in the middle of October (Table II).