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 and Chelsea 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington & Chelsea Borough]
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Disinfection and Disinfestation.
| A summary of the routine work carried out in 1966 by the disinfecting staff is shown in the following table:- | |
| Houses disinfected after infectious disease 116 | (208 rooms) |
| Houses disinfested after vermin 445 | (875 rooms) |
| Tons cwts. | qtrs. lbs. |
| Total weight of bedding, etc. dealt with 4 1 | |
It is the practice of certain foreign countries to prohibit the
import of parcels of clothing, unless accompanied with a certificate
that the articles have been disinfected. The Council afford facilities
to persons desirous of sending clothing abroad and, for this service, a
standard charge is made of 10s.Od. per parcel. During the year, seventy
parcels of clothing were disinfected and the income amounted to £35.0s.0d.
The following table indicates the destination of these parcels
| No. of parcels | |
|---|---|
| East Germany | 18 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Poland | 2 |
| Rumania | 3 |
| Spain | 46 |
| TOTAL | 70 |
Some other countries allow the import of clothing if accompanied
by a certificate stating that no case of infectious disease has occurred
at the sender's address within twenty-one days prior to mailing. During
the year, no such certificates were issued.
PREVENTION OF DAMAGE BY PESTS.
The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, imposes a duty on
occupiers of premises to notify the Council of rodent infestation, and
the Council are required to ensure that the borough is, as far as
practicable, kept free from rats and mice. The Council deal with rat
and mice infestation in dwelling houses without cost to the occupiers,
but expenditure incurred in treating infestations on commercial and
industrial premises is recovered from the owners. The Council are
required to submit reports on
(i) the extent of infestation
(ii) special circumstances to which any undue
presence of rats and mice might be attributed
(iii) the nature and extent of co-operative working
with contiguous local authorities.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food requested a
report for the twelve months ended 31st December, 1966, in the following
form:-