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
Leyton 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
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27
SMALLPOX.
During the year no case of smallpox occurred in the area.
Vaccinal State of Children examined at Routine
Medical Inspection.
Under the provisions of the National Health Service
Act, 1946, the Vaccination Acts were repealed. On and after
5th July, 1948 vaccination ceased to be compulsory, and it will be
interesting to see what effect the removal of compulsion will have
on the proportion of children protected by vaccination.
The following figures show the vaccinal state of children who have been examined at routine medical inspections during the last seven years.
| Year | Number Examined | Number Vaccinated | Percentage Vaccinated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | 3,010 | 539 | 17.9 |
| 1943 | 2,909 | 789 | 27.1 |
| 1944 | 2,688 | 691 | 25.7 |
| 1945 | 2,401 | 624 | 26.0 |
| 1946 | 3,344 | 988 | 29.5 |
| 1947 | 3,667 | 1,285 | 35.1 |
| 1948 | 3,280 | 1,172 | 35.7 |
| Total ... | 21,299 | 6,088 | 28.1 |
SCARLET FEVER.
During 1948 the incidence of scarlet fever was low, and the
disease remained of the mild type to which we have become
accustomed during recent years.
This is the first death from scarlet fever since 1941.
| Year. | Cases Notified. | Deaths. | Case Fatality per cent. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 386 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1944 | 110 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1945 | 312 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1946 | 201 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1947 | 221 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1948 | 160 | 1 | 0.62 |