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
Southall 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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The figures for smallpox vaccination, after a year in which a large proportion of the
population had been vaccinated, dropped heavily in 1963; the absence of public alarm about
actual cases of smallpox resulted in a rapid return to apathy and neglect. Infant vaccinations,
i.e. between birth and two years, numbered only 300.
Contacts:—
From time to time during the year contacts of suspect cases of smallpox entering or returning
to the Borough are notified. The number of these during 1963 was five such persons
who were notified and kept under observation. No smallpox developed.
Also four persons were notified as entering from smallpox areas without valid certificates
of successful vaccination. These persons were offered vaccination and kept under
surveillance until they could be cleared.
Typhoid Fever
No cases of this disease were notified during the year.
An outbreak of typhoid fever occurred in Switzerland in the early part of the year, and
a number of persons who were visiting from this country became infected and brought the
disease back with them. Because of the presence of a number of cases in this country, it was
necessary to check that no food handlers in the Borough could have been in contact, and all
factory canteens, food shops, general practitioners, restaurants and water undertakings were
circulated with a request for information on this subject. No food handler in Southall was
found to be suspect.
Scarlet Fever (Scarlatina)
The number of notifications received during the year was 5, as compared with 19 in
1962, 27 in 1961 and 42 in 1960. There were no secondary cases.
Diphtheria
No cases of diphtheria were notified to the Department.
The following information supplied by the Area Medical Officer shows the number ol children immunised against diphtheria during the year.
| Number of Children who completed a full course of Primary Immunisation in Southall during the year | Number of Children who were given Secondary or Reinforcing Injection during the year (i.e. having in a previous year received a complete full course) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ages at Date of Final Injection | ||||
| Under 1 | l-4 | 5-14 | Total | |
| 333 | 490 | 21 | 844 | 749 |
The figures for immunisation against diphtheria improved considerably during the year.
It seems likely that the emphasis on smallpox vaccinations during the year of the smallpox
outbreak caused the number brought for vaccination against diphtheria to be much lower
that year. Even so, the 1963 figure is not up to that of the previous year, 1961, and the
figure for immunisation protection when compared with the number of births is very poor.
In all 984 were immunised against diphtheria in 1961 and 522 in 1962 as compared with this
year's figure of 844.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
No cases of onhthalmia neonatorum were notified durine the vear.
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