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
Chingford 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Chingford]
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34
SECTION F
PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
Diphtheria
No case of diphtheria was notified to the Health Department
during the year. The last confirmed case in the borough was in
1949.
The following figures indicate the number of children immunised
against diphtheria:-
Primary immunisations - under 5 years - 357
" " - 5 to 15 years - 27
Total - 384
Number receiving secondary or
reinforcing injections - 485
Scarlet Fever
Scarlet Fever cases were down to 33, compared to 64 in the
previous year. All the cases were of a mild character.
The following table indicates the cases notified during the past five years and the precentage of cases removed to hospital
| 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmed cases | 81 | 181 | 168 | 64 | 33 |
| Percentage removed to hospital | 48 | 47 | 37 | 17 | 27 |
Measles
There was a sharp rise in the incidence of measles in 1955,
viz: 492 notifications, as against 195 for 1954. There were no
deaths from this disease. Four cases were admitted to hospital
for treatment.
Measles serum was available to general practitioners on application
to the Public Health Laboratory at Colindale, for the treatment of cases
and the protection of contacts.
Whooping Cough
Notifications of whooping cough were very considerably reduced,
there being only 14 compared to 138 for 1954.
From enquiries made, there is increasing evidence of the value of
immunisation against this disease, both in preventing the onset of
illness and in mitigating the severity of the attack. During the
year 217 children completed the full course of immunisation.