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
Romford 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Romford]
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16
The Probationers at the War-time Nurseries are encouraged to
be Schick Tested, and, if positive, are immunised with ToxoidAntitoxin
Floccules. This preparation is also issued free of charge
by the Emergency Laboratory Service for this purpose.
The following statistics relate to the state of Immunisation as
at 31st December, 1943:—
Table 4.
| Under 5 yrs. | 5-15 yrs. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of children who completed the full course of Immunisation between 1st Jan. and 31st Dec. | 1,051 | 1,101 | 2,152 |
| (a) Approx. estimated No. of children | 4,900 | 9,800 | |
| (b) Percentage Immunised at 31st Dec. | 66 | 51 |
Table 5 gives the statistics since the inauguration of the scheme
in Romford in 1935, till the end of 1943.
Table 5.
| Number of Immunisation injections given at the Clinics | 20,001 |
| Number of children who have completed the Course of Injections, either at the Clinics or Privately | 8,601 |
| Number of Schick Test Injections given at the Clinics, including control injections | 12,071 |
| Number who have been Schick Tested | 6,055 |
| Percentage found to be Immune after Course of Treatment | 90.7 |
(c) Sonne Dysentery.
At various periods throughout the year we had notifications of
cases of Sonne Dysentery, characterised by sickness and diarrhoea
of comparatively short duration. Although, in itself, not disabling,
and more of a nuisance value than anything else, it is, however, an
indication of contamination of bowel content of food or drink, and,
whilst there is the possibility of this mode of infection, there is also
the possibility of more severe infections being spread in a similar
manner. It is, therefore, of the very greatest importance that all
persons handling foodstuffs should take the greatest care in the
cleanliness of their hands at all times, and also in the cleanliness of
cups, mugs, plates, milk bottles, and other containers of articles
taken by the mouth.