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 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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Diphtheria.
Cases and Deaths - 1927 - 1958
| Year | Notified Cases | Deaths | Year | Notified Cases | Confirmed Cases | Deaths | Year | Notified Cases | Confirmed Cases | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 720 | 25 | 1938 | 595 | Not available | 23 | 1949 | 55 | 17 | 2 |
| 1928 | 760 | 25 | 1939 | 254 | 10 | 1950 | 50 | 19 | 1 | |
| 1929 | 1008 | 34 | 1940 | 101 | 2 | 1951 | 43 | 17 | 1 | |
| 1930 | 1248 | 42 | 1941 | 174 | 11 | 1952 | 23 | - | - | |
| 1931 | 714 | 15 | 1942 | 201 | 2 | 1953 | 12 | 1 | - | |
| 1932 | 601 | 20 | 1943 | 188 | 9 | 1954 | 6 | 1 | - | |
| 1933 | 551 | 33 | 1944 | 94 | 38 | 2 | 1955 | 9 | 1 | - |
| 1934 | 815 | 32 | 1945 | 86 | 45 | 3 | 1956 | 8 | 2 | - |
| 1935 | 760 | 13 | 1946 | 137 | 50 | - | 1957 | 9 | 1 | - |
| 1936 | 583 | 31 | 1947 | 72 | 19 | 1 | 1958 | 6 | 2 | - |
| 1937 | 623 | 20 | 1948 | 44 | 7 | - |
Corrected Notifications
| Year | England and Wales | London | Islington |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | 23,199 | 758 | 38 |
| 1945 | 18,596 | 801 | 45 |
| 1946 | 11,986 | 747 | 50 |
| 1947 | 5,609 | 451 | 19 |
| 1948 | 3,575 | 335 | 7 |
| 1949 | 1,881 | 221 | 17 |
| 1950 | 962 | 81 | 19 |
| 1951 | 699 | 30 | 17 |
| 1952 | 101 | 5 | - |
| 1953 | 267 | 13 | 1 |
| 1954 | 176 | 8 | 1 |
| 1955 | 169 | 17 | 1 |
| 1956 | 63 | 11 | 2 |
| 1957 | 40 | 4 | 1 |
| 1958 | 79 | 38 | 2 |
Diphtheria.
Diphtheria continues to be a rare infection. One case was a six-year-old boy
who was found to have a diphtheria organism in the throat, following a routine
throat swabbing at a school inspection, but he appeared to be without symptoms
and there was no recent history of illness. He had been immunised in infancy and
had a booster dose a few months before this incident. There were several school
contacts but no members of the family were affected. The other case was similar
in type, although it occurred in an adult, also without symptoms, and came to
light as a result of a throat swab being taken.