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ANNUAL (ABRIDGED) REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
For the year 1943.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report
on the health and sanitary conditions of the Borough for 1943.
As in the three preceding years, by direction
of the Ministry of Health, the present Report is an abridged and
interim one, and omits the figures of the population, birth rate,
and death rate, for reasons of security.
The health of the population has continued to
be satisfactory, notwithstanding prevailing conditions.
There was no serious outbreak of infectious
disease during the year under review.
The number of notified cases of diphtheria
continues small, and it is reasonable to regard this as mainly due
to the immunisation work carried out in the past at the Chelsea
Diphtheria Immunisation Clinic. None of the notified cases had
completed a course of immunisation before the onset of the disease.
There has been a progressive increase in
Maternity and Child Welfare work, the number of attendances alone
(1714), by mothers at the ante-natal clinic, constituting a notable
record.
Approval was given in November by the Ministry
of Health for the establishment of a second war-time nursery, to
accommodate 96 children, at Cheyne Hospital for Children. This
was opened on 15th February, 1944.
The scheme for Special allowances for those
who have given up work to undergo treatment for Tuberculosis became
operative on July 1st. Of the forty-six cases considered, forty-two
have been granted allowances.
I should like to thank members of the Council
for the support and sympathetic consideration which they have extended
to me and for their attention to the problems which it has been my
duty to lay before them.
I am, Mr, Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
W.H.L. McCarthy, M.D., D.P.H.,
Medical Officer of Health,
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
CHELSEA, S.W. 3.
August, 1944.