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
Harrow 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
PREVALENCE OE INFECTIOUS DISEASES (other than Tuberculosis)
| Disease | Under 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 + yrs. | Unknown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | — | 62 | 168 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 263 |
| Pneumonia, Primary | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 4 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 42 |
| Pneumonia, influenzal | — | 1 | _ | _ | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 |
| Diphtheria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dysentery | —_ | 9 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 41 |
| Erysipelas | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | —_ | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | 15 |
| Meningococcal Infection | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Puerperal pyrexia | — | —_ | —_ | — | — | 2 | 2 | —_ | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Poliomyelitis, paralvtic | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis, non-paralytic | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Encephalitis, infective | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Measles | 7 | 84 | 85 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 180 |
| Whooping cough | 8 | 48 | 50 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 139 |
| Paratyphoid fever | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Typhoid fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Food poisoning | 2 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | — | 3 | — | 3 | — | 31 |
| Malaria | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The first step in the control of a communicable disease is to provide
arrangements by which cases are learned of. The receipt of the notification
leads to enquiries which are directed to two ends. One is to discover the
source of the infection with a view to taking such measures as will remove
this risk. This might entail limiting the activities of contacts and active
immunisation of those exposed. The other is to enable steps to be taken
to avoid as far as possible the transmission of the infection from the
patient to others and include possibly the isolation of the patient at home
or in hospital and the disinfection of infected articles which are a risk to
others.
Notification. Anthrax in this country has been largely an industrial
disease and as such medical practitioners have been required to notify
the Chief Inspector of Factories of cases contracted in any factory. A
Committee of Enquiry on Anthrax recommended that the condition
should be made a notifiable disease under the Public Health Acts. This
recommendation was acted on, and from the 1st December, 1960 anthrax
has, by the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Amendment Regulations,
1960 been added to the list of conditions notifiable under the 1953 Regulations.
The advantages of this notification were considered to be that it
would lead to an increased awareness among practitioners of the possibility
of anthrax, that the general practitioners would be more likely to turn to
the Medical Officer of Health for help and guidance, and the Medical
Officer of Health would be empowered to investigate the source of
infection and take the necessary action in cases occurring outside the
scope of the Factories Act where at present no one has this responsibility.