London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
12
still remains a real one, and parents are therefore wise to continue to take advantage
for the protection of their children of the vaccination facilities offered by the Local
Health Authority.
The following is the table of successful vaccinations performed over the past ten years—
| 1947 | 3,345 |
| 1st January—3rd July, 1948 | 1,124 |
| 5th July—31st December, 1948 | 702 |
| 1949 | 1,628 |
| 1950 | 2,307 |
| 1951 | 3,291 |
| 1952 | 2,450 |
| 1953 | 3,055 |
| 1954 | 4,052* |
| 1955 | 5,942* |
| 1956 | 2,590*† |
(Figures from 1948 onwards kindly furnished by Divisional Medical Officer,
London County Council.)
* Including Re-vaccinations,
f Group Sessions for Schoolchildren discontinued.
The Vaccination Acts were rescinded under the National Health Service Act,
1946, as from 5th July, 1948.
Certificates of Vaccination and Inoculation—Authentication—Ministry of Health
Circular 60/48.
The number of applications for authentication continues to increase and during
the year the Medical Officer of Health dealt with 645 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.
There having been a high incidence of measles in the previous year, 1955, it
might be expected that the 1956 cases would be considerably lower, and this in fact
proved to be so, with approximately 900 fewer notified cases than in the previous
year. The great majority of the cases occurred, fortunately, during the summer
period.