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
Tottenham 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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91
Immunisation against Diphtheria and Whooping Cough
Immunisation of Children under 1 year of age
As mentioned in my last Annual Report, a new policy was implemented in
May 1953, with the aim of securing the immunisation of at least 75% of babies
before the end of the first year of life. This is all the more important as,
for the first time in nine years, a diphtheria death occurred in this area in
a child of eleven who had never been immunised.
The new policy has met with some success as shown by the following
figures:-
Immunisation of Children under 1
| Period | No. of Children who received a full course of immunisation |
|---|---|
| January to June 1953 | 492 |
| July to December 1953 | 854 |
| January to June 1954 | 875 |
| July to December 1954 | 892 |
The increase in the number of children under 1 year of age immunised has been achieved in spite of a falling birth-rate and the above figures translated into percentages of the estimated child population under 1 year of age are shown in the following table.
| Period | % |
|---|---|
| January to June 1953 | 31.6 |
| July to December 1953 | 54.9 |
| January to June 1954 | 59.5 |
| July to December 1954 | 60.7 |
It will be noted that we are still some way from achieving the desired
figure of 75% and continuing efforts are being made towards this end.
In an attempt to establish the reasons why some children are not immunised
before reaching 1 year of age, an investigation has been made of a
sample group of children with the following results:-
Of 173 children born in the Area who had not completed a course of
immunisation before reaching 1 year of age:-