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
Walthamstow 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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All secondary schools had been visited by the end of the year, and of the 1,548 children invited 825 accepted, giving an acceptance rate of 53.3%.
| Percentage positive | 18.6 |
| Number of Mantoux negative | 635 |
| Number absent | 45 |
| B.C.G. given | 630 |
| Absent or not done | 5 |
By arrangement with the Chest Physician all the Mantoux
positives were offered Chest X-ray at the Chest Clinic. None of
those accepting were found to have active disease.
No complications, as defined in Section 18 of Ministry of
Health Memo 324/BCG, have arisen, although many children have
been seen with small ulcers which are a normal concomitant of
successful vaccination. These children have been seen owing mainly
to parental apprehension, although a fully explanatory note is given
to each child vaccinated.
Arrangements have now been made for family doctors to be
notified when children on their lists in this age group are Mantoux
positive or have been vaccinated.
10. INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Notifications from general practitioners of infectious diseases occurring in the 5-14 year age group were as follows:—
| 1953 | 1954 | |
|---|---|---|
| Measles | 413 | 489 |
| Whooping Cough | 352 | 180 |
| Scarlet Fever | 217 | 136 |
| Bacillary Dysentery | 34 | 108 |
| Pneumonia | 15 | 11 |
| Tuberculosis | 8 | — |
| Food Poisoning | 5 | 3 |
| Poliomyelitis | 2 | — |
| Meningococcal Infection | 1 | 2 |
| Encephalitis | 1 | 1 |
| Paratyphoid | 1 | — |
| Typhoid | 1 | — |
| 1,050 | 930 |
Bacillary Dysentery.
Up to the 5th March a total of 48 cases had been notified from
the three departments of the Forest Road and Wm. McGuffie
Schools, i.e., 37 in the Junior Mixed, eight in the Infants and three
in the Secondary Departments.
The existence of an "outbreak" had only become definitely
proved bacteriologically by the 10th February, when, after