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 1964
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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29 school children received a fourth injection during the year.
145 school children received an oral boost after 3 injections.
Under the age of 40, anyone previously receiving two injections of Salk vaccine is
now given two additional doses of oral vaccine.
Reinforcing doses of oral poliomyelitis vaccine are offered at school entry period
followed by boosts for diphtheria prevention.
It will be seen that oral vaccine has practically replaced the Salk vaccine injections.
Measles
Measles incidence was not considerable during the year 1964. There were no deaths
from this cause.
The following table shows the trend of notifications during the past ten years,
and shows the biennial fluctuation which has come to be considered typical of
measles.
| Year | No. of Cases | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 1,329 | |
| 1956 | 61 | |
| 1957 | 674 | 1 |
| 1958 | 476 | - |
| 1959 | 674 | - |
| 1960 | 12 | - |
| 1961 | 1,042 | 1 |
| 1962 | 178 | - |
| 1963 | 898 | - |
| 1964 | 75 | - |
Influenza
Influenza was not a considerable problem in 1964—there was a rise in incidence for a
short period in January but the infection was not a virulent one.
Dysentery
Fifty-four notifications for dysentery were received in 1964.
Of these, 17 were confirmed bacteriologically; fifteen as Shigella Sonne, one Shigella
Flexner, and one was confirmed as Food Poisoning, i.e. Salmonella tennessee. The distribution
of cases was scattered—no outbreak occurred. In one family there were three persons
affected, and in each of two families two members suffered the illness.
Smallpox
No case of smallpox was notified in Southall during the year, and indeed no case has seen notified in the Borough since 1930.
| 1963 | Age Group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 1-2 years | 2-4 years | 5-14 years | 15 years and over | Total | |
| Primary Vaccination | 113 | 187 | 29 | 15 | 25 | 369 |
| Re-vaccination | — | — | 4 | 18 | 130 | 152 |
| 1964 | Age Group | |||||
| Under 1 year | 1-2 years | 2-4 years | 5-14 years | 15 years and over | Total | |
| Primary Vaccination | 62 | 376 | 123 | 8 | 2 | 571 |
| Re-vaccination | — | 2 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 21 |