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14
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATES OF VACCINATION AND INOCULATION
Arrangements continued for the authentication by the Medical Officer of Health of international
certificates of vaccination and inoculation completed by medical practitioners in Westminster. These
certificates are required by persons proceeding abroad from this country and the purpose of the
authentication is to provide proof to those health authorities abroad who desire it that the signature of the
person issuing the certificate is that of a registered medical practitioner. After normal office hours, at
weekends and on public holidays, certificates can be authenticated upon application to the Duty Officer at
City Hall.
During the year under review 34,230 (25,326) such certificates were authenticated, the demand being
largely due to people going abroad for holidays and to the fact that during the summer there was an
outbreak of El Tor cholera in Spain. Travellers to known or possibly infected areas were advised to be
vaccinated against the disease, and travellers to Britain were required to produce an international certificate
of vaccination against cholera on arrival. Arrangements were continued for travellers not in possession of a
certificate to be kept under surveillance for five days.
The Medical Officer of Health also issues, on request and in appropriate circumstances, certificates to the
effect that no cases of smallpox have occurred in the district during the preceding month. The certificates,
of which 24 (28) were issued during 1971, were sought by persons proceeding to the United States of
America who did not wish to submit to vaccination.
Evidence of vaccination is not now required for persons entering the United States unless they have been
in a country reporting smallpox within the previous 14 days.
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SERVICE
The reorganisation in April 1971 of the Health Departments and the formation of Social Services
Departments in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has not affected
the basic operation or increasing use made of the after hours emergency telephone service. Through it a
wide range of specialist officers on standby call can be contacted outside normal office hours to deal with
emergencies arising in either borough, or the caller can be referred to parallel systems elsewhere. The types
of problems dealt with have been described fully in previous Annual Reports (e.g. 1967) and remain as
varied as ever.
During the period 1st January to 31st December 1971, a total of 13,109 (12,058) calls were received by
the Duty Officers — 10,994 (9,784) relating to the City of Westminster and 2,115 (2,274) to the Royal
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An analysis is given in Table 6, page 73.
VISITORS TO THE DEPARTMENT
In addition to the practical training provided for various members of the Health Department staff (to
which reference is made elsewhere in the Report) no fewer than 421 persons were welcomed during 1971
for visits of observation.
Being located close to the central Government departments and near to many Embassies or Legations of
other countries, the City Council receives numerous requests to receive visitors comprising officials from
central or local government of this country or from abroad; members of foreign municipalities or
Commonwealth countries; doctors, students from teaching hospitals, nurses, social workers, etc. Indeed the
point has now been reached when it has become necessary to "ration" the number of visitors who can be
received without seriously interfering with the day-to-day work of the Department.
These visits embrace all the activities of the Health Department and although they may be
time-consuming they prove interesting and stimulating to the staff concerned.
It is of interest to note that although the majority of visitors to the department came from the United
Kingdom, the overseas countries concerned included India, Pakistan, Japan, the United States of America,
and the Balkans.