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
Dagenham 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Dagenham]
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DIPHTHERIA IMMUNISATION
Diphtheria Immunisation of Under Fives
Diphtheria immunisation has continued in the infant welfare clinics and by the
general practitioners.
The following is a summary of the work carried out during the year by medical officers and general practitioners. A total of 1,643 children received primary immunisation injections and a total of 1,850 received boosting doses.
| Age 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 | 573 | 405 | _ | _ |
| 1—4 years | 180 | 144 | 63 | 61 |
| 5—9 years | 143 | 41 | 609 | 250 |
| 10—14 years | 139 | 18 | 748 | 119 |
| Total all ages | 1,035 | 608 | 1,420 | 430 |
Diphtheria Immunisation of School Children
A total of 2,067 school children were immunised against diphtheria during the year
(of which 428 were immunised by private practitioners). Booster diphtheria immunisation
sessions have been continued in the schools and school clinics for the school
entrants and school leavers.
The acceptance rate is still lower than I should like and there are still too many
children coming to school who have not been immunised in infancy—some of these
accept immunisation in school and a primary course is given to these children.
Immunity Index
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:—
| Age at 31. 12. 60. i.e. born in year | Under 1 yr. 1960 | 1—4 yrs. 1956—1959 | 5—9 yrs. 1951—1955 | 10—14 yrs. 1946—1950 | Under 15 yrs. Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last complete course of injections whether primary or booster 1956—1960 | 276 | 4,487 | 5,112 | 4,859 | 14,734 |
| 1955 or earlier Estimated mid-year | — | 2,213 | 5,157 | 7,370 | |
| population | 1,517 | 5,950 | 18,850 | 26,317 | |
| Immunity Index | 18.2 | 75.6 | 52.9 | 56 | |