London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Harrow 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
This page requires JavaScript
PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
PREVALENCE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES (other than Tuberculosis).
| Disease | Und. 1 yr. | 1-4 yrs. | 5-9 yrs. | 10-14 yrs. | 15-19 yrs. | 20-24 yrs. | 25-34 yrs. | 35-44 yrs. | 45-54 yrs. | 55-64 yrs. | 65 & over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | - | 24 | 84 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | _ | — | — | 128 |
| Pneumonia | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 67 |
| Diphtheria | _ | _ | _ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dysentery | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| Drysipelas | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| Meningococcal Infection | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 5 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Poliomyelitis, paralytic | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 7 |
| Poliomyelitis, Non-paralytic | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 7 |
| Encephalitis, Post-infective | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| Measles | 16 | 242 | 342 | 3 | 2 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | 610 |
| Whooping Cough | 9 | 43 | 28 | 1 | 5 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 88 |
| Paratyphoid Fever | - | |||||||||||
| Typhoid Fever | — | _ | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Food Poisoning | 1 | 16 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 77 |
| Malaria | — | — | — | — | — | — | - | - | - | - | - | - |
CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Particulars of the various steps taken to limit the spread of the
infections were set out in the Annual Report for 1954. These measures
include: The notification of a number of diseases; investigations made at
the homes of the patients and the advice given to the mother about the
precautions to be taken; the various ways in which help is given in the
early diagnosis of an infectious disease; the isolation of the patient
whether in hospital or at home; the exclusion from work of the contacts
of patients who might be carriers; and the arrangements for disinfection
both of the premises and of articles.
Contacts
Because those in contact with an infectious person might be liable to
spread the organism as incubating or as contact carriers, one of the accepted
measures taken to limit the spread of infection is the control of the possible
contact of these persons with those who are susceptible to contract the
infection. With the lessening severity of some diseases and the application
of other means of controlling the spread of others, the practice of excluding
contacts from work has been steadily reduced. It is considered today that
it is only very rarely necessary to prohibit a person carrying on his employment
with a view to limiting the spread of infection. But while this change
took place in regard to adults, school children were still being excluded
for long times for many infections. Even here though, changes had been
made in reducing the length of time of these exclusions and apparently
with no resulting spread of infection in the schools. For many years the
practice in most areas has followed the guidance set out in the Memorandum
on the Closure of Schools and Exclusion from school on account
of infectious illness, issued jointly by the Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of Health. Advantage was taken in the 1956 edition to remove
still more of these restrictions. The effect is that now school contacts