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 1946
Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell annual (abridged) report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1946
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NUMBER OF BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION PERFORMED 1946.
| Swabs for diphtheria | 925 |
| Sputa for tubercle | 1164 |
| Milks | 51 |
| Ice Creams | 11 |
| Faeces for Dysentery | 34 |
| " " Ova of parasites | 2 |
| " " Food Poisoning | 1 |
| Blood (Typhold group) | 6 |
| Bath waters | 7 |
| Miscellaneous specimens | 48 |
| Total | 2,249 |
RETURN OF WORK 0F THE VACCINATION OFFICER 1946.
| No. of names received In birth lists | 4,189 |
| Certificates of Successful Vaccination received | 2,530 |
| " " Postponement received | 30 |
| " " Insusceptibility received | 9 |
| Statutory Declarations of Objection received | 899 |
IMMUNITSATION AGAINST DIPHTHERIA.
The campaign for diphtheria prevention was continued throughout
the year by sending birthday cards to children on reaching their first
birthday, by the display of posters and distribution of leaflets, and
by personal appeals by Health Visitors and Sanitary Inspectors urging
parents to take advantage of the facilities provided by the Council
for immunisation against diphtheria.
A further increase was recorded in the number of persons immunised during 1946. Summary of persons immunised 1946.
| 0 – 5 yrs. | 5 – 15 yrs. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. At Borough Council Clinics etc. | 1,524 | 18 | 1,542 |
| 2. At L.C.C. Schools and Clinics. | 136 | 785 | 921 |
| 3. Under Private Practitioners Scheme. | 86 | 1 | 87 |
| Totals. | 1,746 | 804 | 2,550 |
Four notifications were received during the year of the occurrence
of diphtheria in children who had completed a full course of immunisation
treatment, but in no case was the attack severe and all the patients
recovered. Only one death from this disease occurred during the year
and in this case the child had not been immunised.
The following table shows the number of children in the Borough who had completed a full course of immunisation treatment at any time up to 31st December 1946, together with the estimated mid-1946 child population.
| Age at 31.12.46. | Under 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 – 9 | 10 – 14 | Total under 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. immunised. | 23 | 1027 | 1304 | 1090 | 1288 | 6724 | 4680 | 16,136 |
| Estimated population mid-1946. | 13,440 | 19,830 | 33,270 | |||||