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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
Heston and Isleworth 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Notification to the Medical Officer of Health is the essential preliminary to the control of
infectious disease. The diseases required by statute to be notified are:—smallpox, cholera, diphtheria,
membranous croup, erysipelas, scarlet fever, typhus fever, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, relapsing
fever, plague, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, malaria, dysentery, puerperal pyrexia, ophthalmia neonatorum,
acute primary pneumonia, acute influenzal pneumonia, whooping cough, measles, acute encephalitis,
meningococcal infection, and food poisoning. It is known that all cases are not notified, but there are
no grounds for suspecting that the level of notification varies to any great extent from year to year,
Persons travelling overseas may require to produce evidence of recent vaccination against smallpox or
inoculation against yellow fever, cholera and typhoid fever. Such certificates require to be endorsed by
the Medical Officer of Health, and during the year, 348 were so endorsed.
Incidence of Notifiable Disease.—The number of cases notified during the last ten years are shown below:—
| 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 130 | 124 | 67 | 62 | 159 | 138 | 92 | 67 | 161 | 161 |
| Diphtheria | 11 | 24 | 16 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | - |
| Erysipelas | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 16 |
| Pneumonia | 50 | 25 | 47 | 56 | 41 | 52 | 64 | 59 | 58 | 78 |
| Meningococcal Infection | 3 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Epidemic encephalitis | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Post-infective encephalitis | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| Poliomyelitis and polioencephalitis | 3 | 7 | 1 | 43 | 29 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| Typhoid fever | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — |
| Paratyphoid fever | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 6 | 1 | 7 | — |
| Dysentery | 22 | 28 | 6 | — | 5 | 2 | 6 | 77 | 28 | 13 |
| Food Poisoning | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 6 | 53 | 53 |
| Tuberculosis— | ||||||||||
| Pulmonary | 167 | 128 | 200 | 160 | 147 | 208 | 163 | 163 | 148 | 123 |
| Tuberculosis— | ||||||||||
| Non-pulmonary | 17 | 29 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 11 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 18 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 87 | 45 | 54 | 60 | 23 | 16 | 8 | 13 | 53 | 67 |
| Measles | 219 | 1,109 | 170 | 840 | 571 | 523 | 881 | 790 | 1,027 | 602 |
| Whooping Cough | 171 | 110 | 170 | 142 | 227 | 173 | 206 | 222 | 86 | 291 |
| Malaria | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 |
| Undulant fever | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | — | 1 | — |
The age distribution of notifiable disease during 1953 is shown in Table V.
Smallpox.—No case of smallpox occurred in the Borough during 1953. Persons arriving in the
Borough from parts of the world where smallpox is prevalent, are kept under observation till any chance
of their developing the disease is over.
Freedom from smallpox has resulted in a neglect of infant vaccination. According to the returns,
589 children under the age of one year were vaccinated in 1953; a considerable improvement on 1952.
Modern travel is such that the risk of importing smallpox is ever present.
Scarlet Fever.—The continuing mildness of this disease is tending to make parents, and possibly
doctors, careless about home isolation and other measures to prevent the spread of infection. Of the
161 cases which occurred during the year, 42 were admitted to hospital. No death from this disease
has occurred in the Borough since 1937.
Diphtheria.—No explanation other than immunisation can be offered to account for the great
change (shown in Table VI) that has come about in regard to diphtheria. This change can be maintained
only if a sufficiently high proportion of the child population continue to be protected by immunisation.
Unfortunately, the removal of the fear of diphtheria has resulted in a fall in the proportion of new
babies being immunised. The number of children under the age of one year protected against diphtheria
in 1953 was 624; 50 per cent. of the births. Complacency is dangerous.
Erysipelas.—The number of notifications, 16, is a decrease of three compared with the previous
year, and no death was due to this disease.
Pneumonia.—Notifications of pneumonia were 78, as compared with 58 in 1952. The death rate
from pneumonia per 1,000 population was 0.5, the same as for 1952, compared with 0.4 in 1951. Of
the total pneumonia deaths, 77 per cent. occurred at age 65 and over.
Meningococcal Infection.—One case of this disease, formerly classified as cerebrospinal fever,
was notified. The mortality from this disease has fallen considerably since the introduction of the
sulphonamide drugs.
Epidemic Encephalitis.—No notification was received during the year.
Post-Infective Encephalitis.—Encephalitis is known to occur as a complication of other
infectious diseases, but no such case was notified during 1953.
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