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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
Hillingdon 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
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19
Statistics, Infectious Diseases, Health Control Unit London (Heathrow) Airport
Infectious Diseases
The following Table shows the incidence of infectious diseases during 1966.
| DISEASES | Ages of Cases Notified | Totals | Deaths | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under One Year | 1 to 2 | 3 to 4 | 5 to 9 | 10 to 14 | 15 to 24 | 25 and Over | 1966 | 1965 | 1966 | 1965 | |
| Scarlet Fever | _ | 5 | 29 | 51 | 3 | 3 | — | 91 | 104 | — | — |
| Diphtheria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | _ | _ |
| Whooping Cough | 4 | 17 | 16 | 16 | — | — | — | 53 | 29 | _ | _ |
| Measles | 48 | 225 | 272 | 281 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 832 | 3,569 | _ | _ |
| Meningococcal Infection | — | — | 1 | — | — | _ | _ | 1 | _ | _ | _ |
| Poliomyelitis (Paralytic) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | _ | _ | _ |
| Poliomyelitis (Non-Paralytic) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | _ | _ | _ |
| Acute Encephalitis (Infective) | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | _ | _ |
| Acute Encephalitis (Post Infective) | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | _ | 1 | — | _ | _ |
| Smallpox | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | _ | _ | _ |
| Pneumonia | 4 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 36 | 47 | 122 | 150 |
| Typhoid | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | _ | |
| Paratyphoid | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | _ | _ | _ |
| Dysentery | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 17 | _ | _ |
| Food poisoning | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 | — | _ |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | — | — | — | — | — | 69 | 74 | 143 | 144 | _ | _ |
| Tuberculosis, Respiratory | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 6 | 37 | 45 | 59 | 1 | 3 |
| Tuberculosis, Non-Respiratory | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
| Erysipelas | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 9 | 13 | — | — |
Health Control Unit, London (Heathrow) Airport
A comprehensive description of the organisation and function of the Health Control Unit was
included in the Annual Report for 1965 and, therefore, the present report will be mainly statistical.
It is necessary, however, to mention that during the year the British Airports Authority took over from
the Ministry of Aviation on April 1st. In the course of time, the Authority's Board will announce their
policy regarding the provision of medical services for passengers, visitors and staff at Heathrow, but,
meanwhile, the Health Control Unit is continuing the existing practice of carrying out these services
as an extension of their Port Health Duties.
The volume of passenger traffic increased during the year, and during 1966, 11,938,817 passengers
used the airport. In 1965 the total was 10,615,555. In accordance with the Commonwealth Immigrants
Act, 12,516 Commonwealth passengers were referred for medical examination.
Port Health
Vaccinations against smallpox carried out at the airport have never been subdivided into passengers
incoming and passengers outgoing, and the number of such vaccinations performed in 1966 was 7,140.
This figure compares with 5,424 in 1965, 3,576 in 1964 and 1,656 in 1963. It may well be that the outbreak
of variola minor in the midlands during the year required many more outgoing passengers on
holiday to various countries in Europe to be vaccinated that gave rise to this increase. The number of
advice notices to medical officers of health placing passengers under surveillance fell from 2,883 to
2,333, which tends to support this view.
During the year, five passengers who had arrived in London without valid certificates of vaccination
against smallpox had to be isolated as they had come from declared locally infected areas, and
revaccination was medically contra-indicated in each case.