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Yellow fever vaccination—Facilities were provided at a number of centres throughout
the country, as part of the hospital and specialist services under Part II of the National
Health Service Act, 1946, for vaccination against yellow fever for persons travelling to
certain countries where the possession of a certificate of yellow fever vaccination was a
condition of entry. In London this service had been provided at the Hospital for Tropical
Diseases, the West London Designated Vaccination Centre and at the Medical Department
of Unilever, Ltd.
At the request of the Minister of Health the Council accepted responsibility for providing
such facilities in London and the Minister in due course approved an amendment of the
Council's proposals under section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946. Vaccination
against yellow fever had previously been provided free; no charge is made for vaccinations
under section 26 of the Act and it was decided that no charge should be made for yellow
fever vaccination. It was considered that the small amount that would be receivable if a
charge were made would not warrant the cost of collection.
Arrangements were made with the authorities of the centres mentioned above for the
service to be continued on and after 1 July, 1960, when the Council became responsible
for the administration of this service. Persons wishing to be vaccinated against yellow
fever are requested to make prior arrangements with a centre. All centres are on the
telephone and appointments can be made at any time during normal office hours.
A proportion of the persons using the clinic at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases are
seamen. Before July, 1960 the practice had been to see some at the clinic and, to meet the
convenience of shipowners, send a vaccinating team to the London docks to vaccinate
other seamen on board ship. As there is no power to provide this service outside the county,
negotiations were entered into with the Shipping Federation, Ltd. (the representative
organisation of the shipowners) which resulted in their providing a service at their clinic
at King George V Dock as from 1 August, 1960. As this clinic is situated inside the docks,
and is not available to the general public, the Federation obtained from the Ministry of
Health the designation of the clinic as a private centre. Private centres (of which there are
six others in the London area) do not receive financial assistance from public funds, have
to find their own vaccine, and can charge the applicant for the services rendered (which
some centres do). The establishment of this dock clinic relieves the pressure of work at
the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and reduces the amount of medical time needed thereat.
In consideration of this free vaccine was supplied (as is the case with the three centres
for which the Council is responsible), on the understanding that no charge for vaccination
was made to the seamen using the clinic and that the international certificate prescribed
by the World Health Organisation was supplied without cost to the applicant.
The numbers of persons who received yellow fever vaccination or re-vaccination at the
Council's clinics and at the King George V Dock clinic during 1960 are as follows
(numbers since 1 July in brackets):
Clinic No. 1 (Hospital for Tropical Diseases) 10,571 (5,194)
Clinic No. 2 (Unilever House) 1,249 (678)
Clinic No. 3 (West London Centre) 4,031 (1,825)
King George V Dock Clinic (commenced 1.8.60) 809 (809)
Total 16,660 (8,506)
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