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
Walthamstow 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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18
8. INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Notification in the 5-15 years age group during 1948 was as
follows, the figures for 1947 being shown in parentheses: Scarlet
Fever, 168 (175); Diphtheria, 1 (Nil); Pneumonia, 21 (20); Erysipelas
1 (2); Cerebro-spinal Meningitis 1 (1); Measles 632 (388); Whooping
Cough 558 (62); Dysentery 2 (Nil); Anterior Poliomyelitis 2 (8).
Non-notifiable infectious diseases are chiefly brought to light
by the weekly returns made by Head Teachers under the local
"Regulations as to Infectious Diseases in Schools."
The following are the weekly average numbers of children away from school owing to exclusions and the non-notifiable infectious and other diseases named :—
| Exclusions | Chicken Pox | Measles and G.M. | Whooping Cough | Sore Throat | Influenza | Diarrhoea | Mumps | Scabies | Ringworm | Various | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 17 | 41 | 19 | 73 | 58 | 18 | 3 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 418 | 698 |
| 1947 | 21 | 14 | 79 | 32 | 50 | 49 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 410 | 668 |
Immunisation and Infectious Diseases Clinic.—Follow-up
arrangements were as detailed in the 1939 Report.
The following table shows the work done at the Immunisation
Clinic:—
Total immunisations completed during 1948 2,712
(a) School age 662
(b) Pre-school age 2,049
(c) Over school age 1
Immunisation at Schools (included above):—
Number completely immunised 454
Number partly immunised 78
Number already immunised given an extra dose 1,940
During the past four years the percentages of children protected in the various age groups were as follows:—
| Year. | Population. | Under 5 years | Percentage Immunised. 5—15 years. | 0—15 years. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 103,320 | 40.7 | 80.4 | 65.7 |
| 1946 | 118,660 | 50.3 | 77.4 | 67.7 |
| 1947 | 123,100 | 52.4 | 86.0 | 72.2 |
| 1948 | 123,960 | 61.5 | 91.5 | 79.2 |