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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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With this objective in view, children at school were examined and swabbed on a fairly
large scale through the School Health Service and the same procedure was applied to contacts
at home by the Borough Council staff. The department’s Infectious Disease Visitors paid over
600 visits to the homes of cases, carriers, school absentees etc. Arising out of all these
examinations 36 carriers of the diphtheria bacillus were discovered and suitable measures
taken, including reference of the majority to be dealt with more appropriately in hospitals
It is considered that these measures, although they entailed much work since it was important
that all examinations carried out should be done within the shortest possible time of a case
with symptoms occurring, proved their value in that the isolated case or small groups did not
give rise to secondary cases which might otherwise have occurred.
Measures were also taken by the London County Council to improve the acceptance of
immunisation against diphtheria None of the cases with an immunisation history had had recent
protection and this would appear to emphasise the importance of a booster dose during school
life or immediately prior to it where diphtheria immunisation has been carried out during
infancy.
Diphtheria Cases and Immunisation state 1947-1959 (inclusive)
| Year | IMMUNISED | NON-IMMUNISED | Unknown | Total | Deaths | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Groups | Age Groups | |||||||||
| 0 - 5 | 5-15 | 15† | 0 - 5 | 5-15 | 15 † | |||||
| 1959 | _ | 6 | _ | _ | 3 | _ | _ | 9 | Nil | |
| 1958 | _ | 1 | _ | _ | _ | _ | 1 | 2 | Nil | |
| 1957 | _ | 1 | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | 1 | Nil | |
| 1956 | _ | _ | 1 | _ | _ | 1 | _ | 2 | Nil | |
| 1955 | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | 1 | 1 | Nil | |
| 1954 | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | 1 | 1 | Nil | |
| 1953 | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | 1 | _ | 1 | Nil | |
| 1952 | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | - | |
| 1951 | 1 | 2 | _ | 8 | 5 | 1 | _ | 17 | 7 yrs not imm | |
| 1950 | _ | 5 | _ | 3 | 7 | 4 | _ | 19 | 7 yrs not imm | |
| 1949 | 1 | 3 | _ | 2 | 8 | 3 | _ | 17 | 4 yrs | not imm |
| 6 yrs | ||||||||||
| 1948 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | _ | 2 | _ | 7 | Nil | |
| 1947 | _ | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 16 yrs - not imm | |
| 3 | 25 | 3 | 16 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 96 | 5 deaths (None immunised) | ||
| 31 | 60 | |||||||||
Diphtheria Immunisation, 1959
Dr Wilfrid G Harding. Divisional Medical Officer London County Council has kindly
supplied the following figures in respect of Islington for the current year
This is consonant with the Immunity Index given by the Ministry of Health
| Mid-year population | 4,800 | 14,300 | 29,600 | 48,700 | |
| Immunity Index | 14.6 | 68.3 | 53.0 | 53.7 | |