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 1958
[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:—
| 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | - | - | - | - | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 68 | 59 | 34 | 71 | 58 |
| Smallpox | - | - | - | - | - |
| Enteric Fever | - | - | - | - | - |
| Meningococcal Infection | - | - | 1 | 2 | - |
| Poliomyelitis | 1 | 7 | 5 | 12 | - |
| Pneumonia | 38 | 47 | 37 | 35 | 35 |
| Measles | 99 | 1,087 | 172 | 957 | 206 |
| Whooping Cough | 91 | 18 | 78 | 119 | 22 |
Diphtheria
There were no cases of Diphtheria in 1958.
During the year, 16 children were immunised by General
Practitioners and 392 by Medical Officers of the Local Health
Authority. In addition, 347 children were immunised by General
Practitioners with a combined diphtheria and whooping cough
prophylactic.
Three hundred and seventy-seven children were given " booster "
doses of diphtheria prophylactic alone and 30 children were given
"booster" doses of combined diphtheria and whooping cough
prophylactic.
Scarlet Fever
There were 58 cases of Scarlet Fever, 13 less than in the
previous year. The known cases were mild in character and there is
little doubt that in a number of others the illness was so slight as to
escape detection altogether. There were no deaths.
Poliomyelitis
One case of poliomyelitis occurred towards the end of the year,
but it was not notified until early in 1959 when the patient's illness
was finally diagnosed.
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