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
Kensington 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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The following table shows the number of cases of infectious disease notified during the year 1946, with comparative figures for the previous seven years:-
| Notifiable disease. | Number of cases notified. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 1945 | 1944 | 1943 | 1942 | 1941 | 1940 | 1939 | |
| Scarlet Fever. | 195 | 136 | 74 | 216 | 108 | 91 | 82 | 117 |
| Diphtheria (including Membranous Group.) | 37 | 19 | 29 | 54 | 78 | 86 | 54 | 102 |
| Enteric Fever. | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 9 |
| Puerperal Fever. | 4 | 7 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia. | 8 | 12 | 23 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 34 |
| Acute primary pneumonia and acute influenzal pneumonia. | 111 | 81 | 91 | 133 | 91 | 65 | 59 | 109 |
| Dysentery. | 49 | 142 | 43 | 73 | 68 | 25 | 15 | 114 |
| Erysipelas. | 37 | 33 | 16 | 37 | 30 | 43 | 47 | 45 |
| Cerebro-spinal meningitis. | 10 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 45 | 4 |
| Malaria. | 8 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis and polioencephalitis . | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Encephalitis lethargica. | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| Tuberculosis (all forms). | 210 | 188 | 211 | 202 | 203 | 234 | 200 | 190 |
| Measles. | 264 | 868 | 102 | 624 | 365 | 366 | 242 | 31 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum. | 4 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Enteritis. + | 69 | 100 | 71 | 69 | 96 | 48 | 12 | 31 |
| Food poisoning. | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Acute rheumatism. x | 15 | 32 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 18 |
| Scabies. * | 463 | 460 | 363 | 252 | — | — | — | — |
| Whooping cough. | 209 | 62 | 189 | 102 | 146 | 176 | 16 | 345 |
+ Notifiable only in children under the age of 5 years.
x Notifiable only in children under the age of 16 years.
* Notifiable as from 1st August, 1943.
Note. Gases of mistaken diagnosis are excluded from the
above table.
Diphtheria Immunisation.
The following table shows the diphtheria immunisation work carried out during the year:-
| Pre-school children immunised | 1,284 |
| School children immunised | 482 |
| Children attending for pre-immunisation schick tests | 489 |
| No. who gave positive re-action | 292 |
| Children attending for schick tests after being immunised | 2,855 |
| Number proving negative | 2,276 |
| Number proving positive | 414 |
| Number who failed to attend for readings | 165 |
On 14th November, 1945, the Minister of Health issued
Circulars 193/45 and 194/4 5, placing the responsibility for
immunising children under school age upon Welfare Authorities,
and recommending that (a) each health visitor should be responsible
for securing the immunisation of children under school age in her
district, (b) the adoption of a standardised record card for each
child immunised, and (c) the form of annual return to be made at
the end of each year of immunisation work carried out in relation
to the child population.