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
Greenwich 1940
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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PREVALENCE & CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS DISEASE
The total number of infectious diseases was 501 which
is easily the lowest on record. Even allowing for the fact that
a large proportion of the child population have been evacuated to
evacuation areas, it is still difficult to understand the low
incidence generally, having regard to the abnormal conditions
under which families were living during the latter half of the
year.
The notifications received were as under:-
| DISEASE | UNDER 1 Yr. | 1 – 5 Years | 5 Yrs. & UPWARDS | TOTAL | No.ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 1 | 20 | 24 | 45 | 45 |
| Dysentery | – | 1 | – | 1 | – |
| Erysipelas | – | – | 19 | 19 | 11 |
| Scarlet Fever | 1 | 18 | 45 | 64 | 60 |
| Enteric Fever | – | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Puerperal Fever | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | – | – | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | 2 | 3 | 18 | 23 | 23 |
| Measles | 8 | 62 | 44 | 114 | 37 |
| Whooping Cough | 2 | 15 | 5 | 22 | 4 |
| Diarrhoea | 12 | 4 | – | 16 | 8 |
| Ophtalmia Neonatorum | 3 | – | – | 3 | 2 |
| Tuberculosis, Pulmonary | – | – | 95 | 95 | 66 |
| Non-Pulmonary | – | – | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Pneumonia, Acute Primary or Acute Influenzal | 5 | 5 | 59 | 69 | 27 |
| TOTALS | 34 | 130 | 337 | 501 | 311 |
VACCINATION
Of the 1,755 births registered during the year 1939,
696 were successfully vaccinated (39.6 per cent)