London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hillingdon 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
This page requires JavaScript
Of the 8,893 persons X-rayed during the year, 940 were aliens and 7,953 were Commonwealth
immigrants: these figures compare with 807 and 8,576 in 1971. There was as usual a build up in
the figures from 713 in January to a peak of 1,204 in September, 1,062 in October and then falling
off to 582 in December. The peak figures in September and October coincided both with the start
of the academic year and the influx of Ugandan Asians into Britain.
The radiographer was able to train 12 clerk receptionists to a degree of competence adequate
to operate the plant during her absence.
Twenty-seven persons were found to have active pulmonary tuberculosis on arrival during the year. This figure compares with 33 in 1971 and 40 in 1970. The country of origin was as follows:
| Pakistan | 6 | Hongkong | 5 | India | 5 |
| Uganda | 3 | Kenya | 2 | Ceylon | 1 |
| Gambia | 1 | Nepal | 1 | Philippines | 1 |
| Portugal | 1 | Tanzania | 1 |
Three aliens were refused landing on account of the condition, one each from Nepal and
Portugal and a Chinese from Hongkong. One commonwealth immigrant from Gambia was refused
landing.
Fifty immigrants were landed on condition that they contacted their destination health departments within a specified number of days. These immigrants came from:
| Pakistan | 13 | Kenya | 11 | India | 9 |
| Uganda | 9 | Hongkong | 5 | Tanzania | 2 |
| Ceylon | 1 |
The follow-up of these 50 persons revealed that 13 had active tuberculosis, 5 were negative
and as regards the remaining 32, the results are still awaited.
The analysis of the thirteen active cases was:
| Pakistan | 4 | India | 4 | Ceylon | 1 |
| Hongkong | 1 | Kenya | 1 | Tanzania | 1 |
| Uganda | 1 |
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Visitors
During the year distinguished medical visitors were received from Egypt, Japan and Sweden
together with a senior public health inspector from the Seychelles.
Three groups of student nurses from Charing Cross Hospital, and three groups of local student
public health inspectors visited Heathrow at various times to learn something of the procedures
followed at an international airport.
In April, a party of second year nursing students from the Devon Technical College and College
of Further Education and in October a group of student nurses from St. Bernard's Hospital came to
the Airport for the same purpose.
Conferences
Early in June, the Principal Medical Officer visited Strasbourg and attended the 7th Session
of the meeting of the Group of Experts set up by the Public Health Committee of the Council of
Europe (Partial Agreement) to discuss questions arising from the implementation of the administrative
arrangements for the health control of sea, air and land traffic.
Several amendments to the text of the administrative arrangements were recommended. The
situation brought about by the outbreak of smallpox in Yugoslavia was examined and the application
of Spain to join the partial agreement countries was provisionally recommended.
27