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
Finsbury 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough.
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The following table sets out the number of notified cases of and deaths from Diphtheria during the years 1939 to 1958.
| Year | No. of Cases Notified | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 58 | |
| 1940 | 27 | |
| 1941 | 35 | 0 |
| 1942 | 19 | 1 |
| 1943 | 24 | 2 |
| 1944 | 10 | 0 |
| 1945 | 13 | 0 |
| 1946 | 6 | 0 |
| 1947 | 6 | 1 |
| 1948 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950 | 1 (adult non-resid). | 0 |
| 1951 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952 | 1 | 0 |
| 1953/57 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958 | 30 | 0 |
As reference to the above table shows, there has not been a comparable
number of notified cases of diphtheria since the early 1940's.
And although in the present incident all the cases but one were very
mild, and many were symptomless carriers, it serves as a reminder that
the disease is endemic, and is only held in check by a high acceptance
rate of immunization in infancy, re-enforced by booster doses during
school life.
The outbreak was quickly brought under control by the energetic
measures of all concerned, and is being followed up by an intensive
campaign for immunization.
Smallpox
There were no cases or contacts.
Enteric Fever (1) Typhoid
There were no cases or contacts.