Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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at the home of a patient and submits a copy of her report to the Public Health Department.
Contacts are seen by the Visitor and they have suitable tests, either tuberculin tests or
X-rays, or both, at the Chest Clinic. If sanitary defects or overcrowding are reported
further visiting is carried out from the Public Health Department.
At St. Bernard's Hospital, cases of tuberculosis are isolated in Adelaide Ward, which
has 24 male and 24 female beds. One of the doctors from Uxbridge Chest Clinic continues
to carry out tuberculin testing and B.C.G. vaccination of members of the nursing staff of the
hospital.
B.C.G. Vaccination
B.C.G. vaccination is offered to contacts of cases of tuberculosis, to medical and nursing
staffs of tuberculosis wards, and since 1957, as a result of the findings of the Medical
Research Council in their Tuberculosis Vaccines Clinical Trial, to children aged 13 and over
in Southall schools. Testing with tuberculin is carried out beforehand. The tuberculin
test, if positive, shows that infection has occurred at some time during life, and further
investigation is undertaken to verify whether this is active, chronic or healed infection, as
these all give the same result to the test. When the tuberculin test is negative and in the
absence of disease, B.C.G. inoculations are carried out in order to render the individuals
tuberculin positive and, therefore, to have immunity to infection by the tuberculous
bacillus.
Details of work on Southall contacts during 1961 and 1962 at Uxbridge Chest Clinic are as follows:—
1961 | Under 1 year | l-4 | 5-15 | Over 15 | Total | Grand Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tuberculin tests—Positive result | - | 2 | 10 | 28 | 40 | 153 |
* | - | 2 | 27 | 84 | 113 | |
Tuberculin tests—Negative result | 21 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 110 |
* | 11 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 41 | |
B.C.G. given | 21 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 110 |
* | 11 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 41 | |
B.C.G. given—Babies born in hospital | 4 | |||||
*Indians and Pakistanis | ||||||
1962 | Under 1 year | 1-4 | 5-15 | Over 15 | Total | Grand Total |
Tuberculin tests—Positive result * | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 269 |
— | 3 | 6 | 248 | 257 | ||
Tuberculin tests—Negative result * | 18 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 62 | 143 |
8 | 15 | 3 | 55 | 81 | ||
B.C.G. given * | 18 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 62 | 104 |
8 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 42 | ||
B.C.G. given—Babies born in hospital | 17 | |||||
•Indians and Pakistanis |
Under the B.C.G. vaccination in schools scheme, details are as follows:—
Number invited to take part in scheme | Number of consents received | Referred to Chest Clinic | Number of Children vaccinated with B.C.G. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Contacts | Positives | |||
521 | 412 | 3 | 80 | 256 |
All testing and vaccinating during 1962 under this scheme was carried out in Southall
by the Middlesex County Council Staff.
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