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

London County Council 1958

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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Table: IMMUNISATION AND VACCINATION The number of children immunised against diphtheria and tetanus and vaccinated against whooping cough during the last five years is set out in Table (i) below with, where appropriate, corresponding figures for 1949. Table (i)

IMMUNISATION AND VACCINATION The number of children immunised against diphtheria and tetanus and vaccinated against whooping cough during the last five years is set out in Table (i) below with, where appropriate, corresponding figures for 1949. Table (i)

194919541955195619571958
Diphtheria
Primary course—
Under 1 year22,29218,55523,92724,32523,385
Age 1-416,53311,07813,90712,64310,560
Total under 542,39238,82529,63337,83436,96833,945
Age 5-1413,6388,7964,8966,4035,8564,742
Reinforcing doses38,31245,80230,85043,86639,26838,725
Percentage of age group
1-4 immunised at 5 years of age66.2*66.466.568.470.469.9
Tetanus †————12,40515,092
Whooping Cough24,80537,43427,94136,55635,64834,133

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* Estimated, †Started January, 1957.
On 4th July, 1957, the Ministry of Health issued Circular 8/57 on the use of combined
antigens and recommended that, where a local authority considered it expedient to
use non-alum containing combined diphtheria and whooping cough antigens, they
should pay special regard to the prevalence of poliomyelitis in the locality and to the
period of highest risk of provocation as demonstrated in the report of the Medical
Research Council. As the period of highest risk of provocation shown by the report
was April-June the use of combined prophylactic in the county of London was suspended
from 1st April, 1958. The low incidence of poliomyelitis in London permitted the
resumption of the use of the combined prophylactic in August, 1958.
The use of single prophylactics during this period tended towards a reduced number
of children receiving primary immunisation against diphtheria and whooping cough
as parents failed to complete the long course of injections necessitated by the use of
single prophylactics.
The degree of reduction varied from area to area and was as high as 50 per cent, in
some places and insignificant in others. As whooping cough vaccine is given earlier
than diphtheria immunisation the effect was greatest on the latter.

Table: The number of children receiving multiple antigens is shown in the following table. Table (ii)

The number of children receiving multiple antigens is shown in the following table. Table (ii)

195619571958
Combined diphtheria/whooping cough32,09119,4647,623
Diphtheria/whooping cough/tetanus—12,40515,092

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Vaccination
against
smallpox

Table: Table (iii)

Table (iii)

194919541955195619571958
Number vaccinated under 1 year13,89624,99524,64925,73429,67730,865
Per cent of live births254950495655

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Two mild cases of generalised vaccinia were reported during the year.
Vaccination
against
poliomyelitis
The scheme for vaccination against poliomyelitis was extended in 1958 to persons
born in the years 1933 to 1942 inclusive, hospital staff coming into contact with patients,
medical students at hospitals, and families of the two latter groups. The extended scheme
also provided for third injections to be offered to those who had already received two
injections.
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