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101
National Insurance Act, 1946.—From time to time it is
necessary for the Medical Officer of Health to insist that a suspected
' carrier ' of, or a person in contact with, an infectious disease
should be precluded from working in order that the risk of transmission
of the disease is minimised. This is especially necessary
when the person concerned is a ' food handler.'
Regulation 3(b) of the National Insurance (Unemployment
and Sickness Benefit) Regulations, 1948, made under the above
Act, enables any person so excluded to claim sickness benefit on
production of a certificate issued by the Medical Officer of Health.
In the Ministry of Health Circular 115/48 it has been suggested
that the Medical Officer of Health should be prepared to furnish
such a certificate if, in his opinion, circumstances are such that
this action becomes necessary.
During the current year it was unnecessary to issue any
certificates.
Smallpox.—There were no cases notified during the year, but
a number of contacts were reported arriving in the Borough from
abroad, and these were kept under observation for the requisite
period.
Public Health (Smallpox Prevention) Regulations, 1917.—These
Regulations give a Medical Officer of Health power to vaccinate or
re-vaccinate without charge, any contacts of Smallpox cases
willing to submit themselves for treatment.
Vaccination.—Smallpox is a very dangerous and disfiguring
disease and prior to the introduction of compulsory vaccination in
1853, nine-tenths of smallpox victims were children under 5 years of
age. Subsequent to this period children, by and large, escaped.
However, since 1898, when the ' conscientious objection ' clause
made its appearance, vaccinations have declined steeply and the
position deteriorated still further from 1948 when vaccination
became optional.
Glycerinated calf lymph is the standard vaccine used in this
country and the number of vaccinations carried out in the Borough
during 1953 was 663. Although this is a rise of 122 over the previous
year it is still 652 less than that for 1951.
Occasionally a smallpox scare in the country results in a jump
in the number of vaccinations effected but generally the trend is
downwards.
Today, although every precaution is taken at seaports and
airports, infected persons do occasionally slip through but the