London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Greenwich 1961

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]

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1952, there were 37 notifications, giving a consolidated total of 1,981 cases notified during the year. The following table indicates the figures for the previous ten years :—

YearNo. of corrected notifications
19512,266
19521,565
19531,242
1954569
19552,120
1956844
19571,558
1958607
19591,102
1960542
10-year average1,241
19611,981

Particulars of age groups and districts affected are shown in
the table at the end of this Report.
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 and 1960 it was unnecessary to issue
any certificates but 3 were furnished in 1959, none in 1958 and 1 in
1957.
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.