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 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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| 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 + yrs. | Unknown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | — | 15 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 56 |
| Pneumonia Primary | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | — | 7 | |
| Pneumonia Influenzal | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 4 |
| Diphtheria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Dysentery | — | 5 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 18 | |
| Erysipelas | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 6 | |
| Meningococcal Infection | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis, Paralytic. . | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis, Non ,, | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Encephalitis Infective | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Measles | 5 | 227 | 103 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 149 |
| Whooping Cough | 1 | 25 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 39 |
| Paratyphoid Fever | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Typhoid Fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Food Poisoning | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 4 |
| Malaria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Infective Jaundice | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | 10 | ||
DIPHTHERIA, POLIOMYELITIS AND SMALLPOX
Fortunately these infections only rarely cause illness in this country
and it is many years since a resident of Harrow was affected. This satisfactory
position must be attributed to immunisation and vaccination.
Because many young parents have never experienced the severity of these
diseases their fear has been lessened to the point where they seriously
consider the wisdom of subjecting their children to immunisation procedures.
Herein lies the danger of the present situation, because unless the
majority are protected, the population, as a whole, is open to attack. The
number of small outbreaks in recent years have indicated that the risk is
far from academic. Moreover with increasing travel both for leisure and
commerce, passengers frequently return from places where these diseases
are endemic. Air travel has also meant that an infected person could have
lived in this country for several days before developing symptoms.
Consequently efforts are being made by all members of the Department to
foster the desire to have suitable protection.
In an endeavour to prevent smallpox being imported, those travellers
coming from countries where smallpox is endemic and who are not in
posssession of valid international certificates of vaccination against
disease, are placed under surveillance for a period of 14 days after their
disembarkation. Forty such persons proceeding to addresses in the Borough
were notified and kept under surveillance for the statutory period during
the year.