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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Smallpox—
Table (iii)
| 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number vaccinated under 1 year | 24,649 | 25,734 | 29,677 | 30,865 | 30,489 |
| Percentage of live births | 50 | 49 | 56 | 55 | 55 |
One case of generalised vaccinia was reported during the year.
Poliomyelitis—As mentioned in my report last year, although provision had been made
for third injections, priority was given to increasing the number of primary vaccinations.
Organised arrangements and publicity for third injections were put into force in 1959 and
during the year some 360,000 such injections were given—this number was sufficient to
cover those who at the end of 1958 had had primary vaccinations only and deal with a
number of persons so vaccinated in the early part of 1959 for whom the necessary seven
months delay period had elapsed.
The number of persons who have received protection against poliomyelitis is as follows: Table (iv)
| Number of persons who have received | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Two injections | A third injection (cumulative total) | ||
| In 1959 | Since the commencement of the scheme | ||
| Born in: | |||
| 1953-59 | 76,962 | 184,677 | 91,090 |
| 1943-52 | 82,366 | 307,900 | 185,140 |
| 1933-42: | |||
| Londoners | 155,014 | 163,268 | 51,735 |
| Others | 48,120 | 52,246 | 22,307 |
| Expectant mothers: | |||
| Londoners | 18,676 | 28,100 | 8,207 |
| Others | 419 | 562 | 146 |
| Other priority groups | 15,786 | 19,079 | 6,945 |
| TOTALS | 397,343 | 755,832 | 365,570 |
| 125,012 | 183,381 | 76,921 | |