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 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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The following were the attendances during the weekly Town Hall Clinic:-
| Diphtheria Immunisation | 366 |
| Whooping Cough Immunisation | 270 |
| Vaccination | 451 |
| Total | 1,087 |
This represented an average of 20.5 attendances per session.
There are two attendances for each vaccination and diphtheria
immunisation, and three for each whooping cough immunisation.
VACCINATION
The number and ages of persons vaccinated are shown below :—
| Age at date of Vaccination | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 6 months | 6—12 months | l year | 2—4 years | 5—14 years | 15 years and over | Total | |
| Primary | 362 | 70 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 514 |
| Secondary | — | — | 1 | 6 | 7 | 120 | 134 |
| Total | 362 | 70 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 160 | 648 |
The total for 1953 was 800.
Vaccinated by General Practitioners 419
Vaccinated by County Staff 229
There were only 432 vaccinations in children under one year in
1954 as compared with 515 in 1953. The vaccinations under one
year during 1954 dropped to approximately 30% of babies surviv
ing to the age of one year. For the purpose of comparison, similar
percentages have been calculated for the past five years as
follows :—
Year Percentage
1953 36
1952 35
1951 37
1950 23
1949 18
The low proportion of babies vaccinated is a matter of grave
concern in view of the risk of importation of smallpox by air and
sea, and also because of the extra risk and discomfort of vaccination