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
Finchley 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The following table shows the number of cases notified during the past five years:
| 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | - | - | _- | - | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 124 | 132 | 99 | 93 | 69 |
| Smallpox | — | — | — | — | — |
| Enteric Fever | — | — | — | — | - |
| Cerebro Spinal Fever | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - |
| Meningococcal Infection | |||||
| Poliomyelitis | 26 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| Pneumonia | 65 | 48 | 72 | 48 | 49 |
| Measles | 381 | 730 | 647 | 577 | 857 |
| Whooping Cough | 88 | 361 | 240 | 273 | 165 |
Diphtheria
It is now 8 years since a case of Diphtheria occurred in
Finchley. There is no doubt that this is due to immunisation and
once again I stress the duty of all parents to ensure that their
children are immunised not only in their own interests but in the
interest of the whole community as it is only by having a high
proportion of the child population immunised that the disease can
be kept at bay.
During the year 76 children were immunised by General
Practitioners and 51 by Medical Officers of the Local Health
Authority. In addition, 537 children were immunised with a
combined diphtheria and whooping cough prophylactic.
Four hundred and twenty-four children were given "booster"
doses of diphtheria prophylactic alone, and 76 children were
given "booster" doses of combined diphtheria and whooping
cough prophylactic.
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