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 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
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PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS
AND CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
During the year 1958 the notifications of infectious diseases were the lowest ever
recorded in the Borough. The total notifications received were 897, and 433 of these were
in respect of cases of measles.
Set out hereunder is a table of the notifications received. The figures in brackets denote the number of notifications received in 1957.
| Disease | Notifications Received | |
|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | (-) | |
| Diphtheria | - | (-) |
| Erysipelas | 13 | (17) |
| Scarlet Fever | 106 | (60) |
| Pemphigus Neonatorum | - | (-) |
| Tuberculosis, Pulmonary | 41 | (51) |
| Tuberculosis Other forms | 3 | (9) |
| Pneumonia | 132 | (223) |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 2 | (3) |
| Typhoid Fever | - | (1) |
| Paratyphoid Fever | - | (1) |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 1 | (13) |
| Meningococcal Infection | - | (1) |
| Poliomyelitis, Paralytic | - | (11) |
| Poliomyelitis, Non-paralytic | - | (8) |
| Acute Encephalitis, Infective | 1 | (1) |
| Acute Encephalitis, Post infectious | - | (-) |
| Measles | 433 | (1033) |
| Whooping Cough | 104 | (159) |
| Dysentery | 38 | (6) |
| Food Poisoning | 23 | (29) |
| TOTAL | 897 | (1626) |
DIPHTHERIA
No case of diphtheria has been notified since 1951. However, the threat of outbreaks
remains, and I should feel more complacent if the percentage of the immunisation of the
child population were much higher than it is at present. The medical and nursing staff
are unremitting in their propaganda efforts but, as so few of the present day mothers have
seen a case of diphtheria they appear to be unaware of the severity of the disease.
DYSENTERY
The number of notifications received increased from 6 in 1957 to 38 in 1958. There
were eight family outbreaks involving 24 of the cases notified. In only 12 of the cases
was the diagnosis bacteriologically confirmed. Nine of the persons notified were admitted
to infectious disease hospitals,
POOD POISONING
Twenty-three persons were notified to be suffering from food poisoning - a decrease of
6 compared to the previous year.
There were 3 "outbreaks" involving 6 cases and 17 single cases. In only 6 of the
(10)