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Mobile Diphtheria Immunisation Clinic.—The Mobile Clinic, which was reported
upon in detail in the Annual Report for 1945, was again in action during 1946.
Various districts of the Borough were visited on two afternoons in the week. Owing
to the weather attendances were not as favourable as in the previous year.
Considerable publicity was given to diphtheria immunisation with the issue of 2,000
double crown posters, local press publicity, occasional film trailers on diphtheria
immunisation in the local cinemas, with the co-operation of the Managers, and
continual propaganda throughout the year by the Health Visitors, Medical Officers
and Welfare Centres.
In circulars Nos. 193/45 and 194/45 the Minister of Health asked for special
efforts to secure the immunisation of children under school age and placed
sibility for securing immunisation upon Welfare Authorities as from January 1st
1946. The suggestion in the circulars that each Health Visitor should be made
responsible for securing immunisation of children under school age in her district
has already been part of the Islington scheme for some years. In view of the fact
that the work for children under 5 and over 5 in Islington is already very closely
integrated, the Maternity & Child Welfare Committee agreed that its powers in
this respect as a Welfare Authority should be exercised by the Public Health
Committee.
Tuberculosis.
It will be noted from the table "Comparative Vital Statistics" on page 2 that
the Tuberculosis notification rate per 1,000 population for 1946 was 2.18, which
is now back to the pre-war rates. The death rate per 1,000 notifications for pulmonary
tuberculosis is also lower than in any year since 1939, and it would therefore appear
reasonable to assume that the upward trend which took place during the war has
now been checked and that the return to the pre-war position has almost been
achieved and should therefore form a basis for further improvement.
It may be noted that these improvements in the tuberculosis figures have taken
place in spite of the very considerable degree of overcrowding which exists in housing
throughout the Borough, and which is worse than the pre-war situation.