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
Penge 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Penge]
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8
PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS AND OTHER
DISEASES.
Diphtheria.
For the second year in succession no cases of Diphtheria occurred in the district.
Diphtheria Immunisation.
The following is a return of the number of children resident in the district who were immunised against diphtheria during the year:-
| Children born 1945-1949 | Children born 1935-1944 | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary inoculations | 530 | 265 | 795 |
| Reinforcing „ | 9 | 628 | 637 |
Penge children under the age of 15 years on 31st December, 1949, who had
completed a course of immunisation at any time before that date were as follows:—
Aged 0-4 years inclusive 1,546 or 60.9% of the estimated number
of children of those ages.
„ 5-14 „ „ 2,493 or 77.4% of the estimated number of
children of those ages.
These figures show a continued steady increase in the number of children
immunised and represents 70% of the estimated child population.
Smallpox.
No case was notified. A few contacts of cases notified elsewhere were kept
under observation for the requisite period.
The following shows the number of Penge residents who were vaccinated against smallpox during the year:—
| Age at 31/12/49. | Under 1 | 1 to 4 | 5 to 14. | 15 or over | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccinated | 173 | 130 | 11 | 3 | 317 |
| Re-vaccinated | 1 | 3 | 37 | 41 |
Scarlet Fever.
There were 31 cases of Scarlet Fever notified (as against 24 in 1948) and 23
were removed to hospital.
The disease generally was of a mild type. There were no deaths and no
"return" cases.