London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Dagenham 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Dagenham]
This page requires JavaScript
DIPHTHERIA IMMUNISATION
Diphtheria Immunisation of under fives
Diphtheria immunisation has continued in the Infant Welfare clinics and by the
general practitioners.
Constant encouragement and persuasion must still be given by the health visitors
at their routine home visits to families who do not attend the clinic.
The following is a summary of the work carried out during the year by Local Health
Authority medical officers and general practitioners.
A total of 1,464 children received primary immunisation injections and a total of 1,670 received boosting doses.
| Age (in years) at final injection | Primary immunisation | Children who received a boosting dose | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.H.A. | G.P's. | L.H.A. | G.P's. | |
| Under 1 year | 476 | 267 | - | - |
| 1—4 | 234 | 202 | 47 | 11 |
| 5—9 | 113 | 38 | 527 | 171 |
| 10—14 | 125 | 9 | 854 | 60 |
| Total all ages | 948 | 516 | 1,428 | 242 |
Diphtheria Immunisation of School Children
A total of 1,890 school children were immunised against diphtheria during the year
(of which 278 were immunised by private practitioners). This increase of over 100%
compared with previous years (1956—total — 826) is due to the emphasis on Booster
immunisation in the schools both at the 5 year medical inspection and at school leaving.
All children entering and leaving school are being offered immunisation and the parents
are encouraged by school medical officers and school nurses to consent.
Succeeding years will, I hope, see still further improvement in the state of immunity
of the school population, as the parents come to accept the routine booster immunisation
of their children at each medical examination.
The position at the end of the year in Dagenham regarding immunisation in relation
to the child population is given in the following table which gives details of all children
who had completed a course of immunisation at any time before that date:
52