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49
VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION
Patents are encouraged to have their babies vaccinated against diphtheria,
whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis and smallpox.
This may be done, either by the Council’s doctors at maternity and child
welfare centres and schools or by general practitioners.
Re-inforcing doses are also given to older children under similar arrangements.
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATES OF VACCINATION
Certificates of recent successful vaccination/inoculation are required by
persons travelling to certain countries abroad.
After completion by the vaccinating doctor (normally the persons’ s own doctor)
the certificate must be taken or sent for authentication of the doctor’s signature
by the Medical Officer of Health for the area in which the doctor practises.
In Lambeth signatures on certificates are authenticated in the Health Department,
Blue Star House, 234/244, Stockwell Road, S.W.9.
TUBERCULOSIS
The Council is responsible for the services for the prevention of tuberculosis
and the care and after-care of tuberculous patients in the community. These
services are carried out in conjunction with the chest clinics provided by the
Regional Hospital Boards and the Boards of Governors of teaching hospitals, and
are under the general supervision of the chest physician.
The Council either employs directly or pays the full cost of T.B. health
visitors and welfare officers who are based at the chest clinic and reimburses the
hospital authorities an agreed proportion of the cost of the salary of the chest
physician.
There were 3,972 patients on chest clinic registers at 31st December. T.B.
health visitors made 3,529 effective home visits and 56 patients received extra
nourishment or other benefits.
The Council is responsible for Knight’s Hill Hostel for homeless infective
tuberculous men which provides 32 places.
This hostel is one of three serving the Inner London Boroughs. Most of the
residents are chargeable to other boroughs.
B.C.G. Vaccination
B.C.G. Vaccination against tuberculosis is undertaken both at the chest
clinics, which normally deal with contacts, and by the Council’s doctors in .
schools. The protection is offered to all 13 year old school-children each year
and during the period 494 contacts and 2,060 school-children were vaccinated.