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 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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The following extract is from an article in the "Monthly
Bulletin" of the Ministry of Health for June, 1951, summarising
Report No. 272, issued by the Medical Research Council in regard
to a study of diphtheria in two areas of Great Britain.
"It cannot be adequately emphasised that it is the bounden
duty of parents to ensure that their children are actively
immunised, whether diphtheria is or is not prevalent, and
preferably before the end of the first year of life. Persons so
treated can confidently expect protection in early life and also
possess the means of acquiring it without delay in later life.
It must never be forgotten that active immunity against
diphtheria cannot be acquired in a few days but takes some
weeks to develop, so that those who have been denied
prophylactic inoculation in good time have no such assurance
of safety."
The trials of the vaccine supplied by the Medical Research Council and referred to in last year's report continued during 1950. In addition the use of the commercial vaccine commenced in 1947 was continued with good results.
| Age at date of Final Injection | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 1—4 years | 5—14 years | |||
| M.R.C. Scheme | 220 | 22 | — | 242 | |
| Local Authority Scheme | 176 | 108 | 1 | 285 | |
| TOTALS | 396 | 130 | 1 | 527 | |
The grand total of children immunised against whooping cough
to the end of 1950 is 2,016.
During 1948, i.e., before the commencement of the M.R.C.
Scheme and before the extension of the Local Authority Scheme,
there were 565 notifications of whooping cough in the Borough
with six deaths, 226 notifications with one death in 1949, and
501 with no death in 1950. The 1950 epidemic has continued into
1951 with a total of 640 cases to the end of June, and again with
no known death.