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
Camberwell 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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69
It is gratifying to report that diphtheria no longer presents a problem to
the Health Department. The public realise that fatal or even serious cases of
diphtheria do not occur in children whose resistance is kept at the highest point
of efficiency by immunisation treatment.
Confirmation of this statement is to be found in the accompanying statistics
where it will be seen that the number of deaths in these days is negligible.
Yours faithfully,
H. W. BARNES, Medical Officer of Health.
Summary or Persons Immunised 1947.
| 0-5 years. | 5-15 years. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| At Borough Council Clinics, etc. | 1,209 | 2 | 1,211 |
| At L.C.C. Schools and Clinics | 106 | 471 | 577 |
| Under Private Practitioners Scheme | 89 | 8 | 97 |
| Totals | 1,404 | 481 | 1,885 |
Table showing the number of children in the Borough who had completed a full course of immunisation treatment at any time up to December 31st, 1947, together with the estimated mid-1947 child population.
| Age at 31/12/47 | Under 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | Total under 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. immunised | 40 | 1,231 | 1,334 | 1,431 | 1,219 | 8,050 | 5,599 | 18,904 |
| Estimated population mid-1947 | 15,380 | 20,890 | 36,270 | |||||
Percentage of children under 5 years of age living in Camberwell
protected 34.1 per cent.
Diphtheria—Notifications and Deaths, 1925-1947.
| Year. | Notifications. | Deaths. |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 934 | 40 |
| 1926 | 1,063 | 54 |
| 1927 | 768 | 23 |
| 1928 | 744 | 22 |
| 1929 | 669 | 16 |
| 1930 | 625 | 21 |
| 1931 | 456 | 17 |
| 1932 | 483 | 14 |
| 1933 | 507 | 20 |
| 1934 | 520 | 20 |
| 1935 | 363 | 20 |
| 1936 | 278 | 13 |
| 1937 | 346 | 13 |
| 1938 | 439 | 20 |
| 1939 | 212 | 8 |
| 1940 | 124 | 3 |
| 1941 | 114 | 3 |
| 1942 | 159 | 3 |
| 1943 | 81 | – |
| 1944 | 59 | 2 |
| 1945 | 54 | 2 |
| 1946 | 64 | 1 |
| 1947 | 35 | 2 |