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
West Ham 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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IMMUNISATION AGAINST DIPHTHERIA AND WHOOPING COUGH. The Council's arrangements for
immunisation were as in previous years, by means of regular sessions at each of the Councils
Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics. A medical officer also visited each school to immunise
new entrants who had been missed in the pre-school age and to give refresher doses to those
who had been previously immunised. General practitioners are also authorised to carry out
this work on behalf of the Council. Immunisation against both diseases is effected by means
of a single series of injections using a combined antigen. The use of the combined antigen
has proved of great service in maintaining the response to diphtheria immunisation since,
while the rare occurrence of the disease in recent years might lead parents to neglect this
protection for their children, whooping cough is still widespread and there is an increasing
demand for protection against it.
The following figures show the number of children immunised during the year:-
| Age | Completed Full Course | Refresher Doses | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria only | Combined Whooping Cough & Diphtheria | Diphtheria only | Combined Whooping Cough & Diphtheria | |
| 0 - | 80 | 1739 | - | - |
| 1-4 | 194 | 588 | 250 | 1 |
| 5-14 | 411 | 11 | 1973 | 3 |
| Totals | 685 | 2338 | 2223 | 4 |
SMALLPOX. No case of smallpox was notified during the year.
basis. There has been little change in the response to primary vaccination although the occurrence of outbreaks of smallpox in Brighton and elsewhere led to an increase in the demand for vaccination among adults.
| Age at date of vaccination. | Under 1 | 1 | 2-4 | 5-14 | 15 or over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number vaccinated | 328 | 29 | 52 | 31 | 123 | 563 |
| Number re-vacclnated | - | - | 6 | 21 | 371 | 398 |
PNEUMONIA. There were 147 cases (76 males and 71 females) of pneumonia - primary and
influenzal, during the year giving a case rate of 0.86 per 1,000 of the population. The
number of deaths from all forms of pneumonia was 125, giving a death rate of 0.73 per 1,000
of the population.
PUERPERAL PYREXIA. The number of cases occurring during the year was 48. This
compares with 35 eases during 1950. It is difficult to assess the significance of this
increase since the basis of notification was changed by the issue in August of the Puerperal
Pyrexia Regulations, 1951. These new regulations define puerperal pyrexia as "any febrile
condition occurring in a woman in whom a temperature of 100.4° Fahrenheit (38° Centigrade)
or more has occurred within 14 days after childbirth or miscarriage." Previously it was
necessary for a temperature of 100.4° Fahrenheit to be sustained during a period of 24 hours
or to recur within that period and the condition was notifiable if such a temperature
occurred within 21 days of childbirth or miscarriage.
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