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
City of Westminster 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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Notifications of Infectious Disease
| Disease | Notifications | Removed to Hospital | Diagnosis not Confirmed | Diagnosis Established |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 3 | 3 | — | |
| Dysentery | 27 | 2 | — | 27 |
| Erysipelas | 3 | 3 | — | 3 |
| Food Poisoning | 21 | 6 | 1 | 20 |
| Malaria (contracted abroad) | 2 | 2 | — | 2 |
| Measles | 797 | 33 | 2 | 795 |
| Meningococcal Infection | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Pneumonia: | ||||
| Acute Primary | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| Influenzal | — | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis: | ||||
| Paralytic | — | — | — | — |
| Non-Paralytic | — | — | — | — |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 11 | 11 | — | 11 |
| Scabies | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| Scarlet Fever | 12 | — | — | 12 |
| Typhoid Fever | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Whooping Cough | 5 | 1 | — | 5 |
Measles
It is of interest to note that seven hundred and ninety-seven notifications
of measles were received in 1961, compared with forty-seven in
1960; thirty-three patients were removed to hospital. This is the
highest number of cases notified since 1955, when nine hundred and
twenty-one notifications were received.
Poliomyelitis
For the first year since 1944, no case of poliomyelitis occurred in
Westminster.
Immunisation against poliomyelitis began in 1956. The number of
corrected notifications of poliomyelitis, including polio-encephalitis, for
each year since 1947 is given below. Whilst the numbers vary greatly,
it is to be hoped that the decrease in the number of cases during the past
few years is attributable to the effects of immunisation:—
1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
21 16 29 13 1 10 9 4 15 7 5 1 1 1 -