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
Islington 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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Certificates of Vaccination and Inoculation—Authentication—Ministry of Health
Circular 60/48.
During the year the Medical Officer of Health dealt with 175 requests for
authentication of International Certificates of Vaccination and Inoculation against
smallpox, cholera, typhoid, etc.
Measles and Whooping Cough.
Measles and Whooping Cough became generally notifiable in London at the
end of 1939. Prior to this there was only a limited notification.
Measles.
The number of measles notifications, at 2,885, was the second highest recorded
in the history of the Borough, being exceeded only by the 3,199 which were notified
in 1951. There were two peak periods in 1952, the first with a sharp increase in
the measles cases beginning about mid'May and reaching a peak in the latter part
of July and early August, then dropping to fairly low levels by September. The
next rise began in October and continued at very high levels throughout December
and well into 1953.
It will be noted from the Table below that the number of children of school age who contracted measles was almost equal to the number of children aged 1—5 years ; whereas in 1951 there were approximately 2,000 children in the younger age-group, and only approximately 1,000 in the school-age group.
| Under 1 year | 1—5 years | 5 years and upwards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Notifications in 1952 | 101 | 1,468 | 1,316 |
| Percentage of total notifications | 3.5 | 50.9 | 45.6 |
| No. of Deaths | — | — | — |
| Fatality Rates (per thousand) | — | — | — |
It was only in the most exceptional circumstances that measles cases were
removed to hospital.
Whooping Cough.
Whooping cough in 1952 was considerably less prevalent with 564 cases less than in the previous year. The distribution of whooping notifications according to their ages was as follows :
| Under 1 year | 1—5 years | 5 years and upwards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Notifications in 1952 | 79 | 273 | 152 |
| Percentage of total notifications | 15.7 | 54.2 | 30.1 |
| No. of Deaths | 1 | 1 | — |
| Fatality Rates (per thousand) | 12.66 | 3.66 | — |