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
Southwark 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southwark, Borough of]
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5
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Confirmed diagnoses were more than three times as many as in
1954 due to exceptionally heavy outbreaks of Measles, Poliomyelitis
and Dysentery. Scarlet Fever notifications were twice as
many as in 1954, but Food Poisoning remained at the same level and
Whooping Cough continued to decrease.
There were four deaths from Measles and one, an infant, from
Salmonella Typhi-murium.
IMMUNISATION Although "booster" injections were more than twice the 1954 figure, other injections were fewer due to the precautionary suspension of immunisation during the Polio outbreak.
| Immunisation | Under 5 years of age | Over 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 116 | 37 |
| Whooping Cough | 14 | — |
| Combined | 922 | 14 |
| " Booster " injections | 564 | — |
| 1,616 | 51 | |
| Total 1,667 | ||
PATHOLOGICAL SPECIMENS
951 faeces specimens were taken by the Department for pathological
examination in connection with Food Poisoning and Dysentery
cases. 222 were from notified home cases of which 117 proved
positive, and 283 from contacts of which 72 were positive. 127 of
the remaining 446 " follow-up " specimens were also positive.
FOOD POISONING 18 of the 26 confirmed cases (including those for Southwark residents notified to other Boroughs from hospitals in their areas) were individual cases, as follows :—
| Salmonella Typhi-murium | 14 |
| Salmonella Schwarzengrund | 1 |
| Unknown | 3 |
The remaining 8 cases were in 4 "outbreaks" (more than one
case in a family) all due to Salmonella organisms.
Four sudden, fortunately mild, outbreaks occurred in canteens.
In only one case was the suspected food available, and the meat
revealed that the causative organism, C. Welchii, had apparently
developed in large numbers between the time of cooking and consumption.
The meat was cooked when received, allowed to cool at
atmospheric temperature, then reheated and served the next day.