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
Tottenham 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
This page requires JavaScript
82
Infectious Diseases in School Children
With the exception of tuberculosis which showed a slight increase, the year
1958 was uneventful from the point of view of infection.
Three cases of poliomyelitis occurred in unvaccinated children; two of the
three were brothers and unfortunately one died and the other is still in hospital
with residual paralysis. The third case made an excellent recovery.
There were no cases of diphtheria and no outbreaks of food poisoning or
dysentery during the year.
B C.G vaccination
Despite the special effort involved in carrying out poliomyelitis vaccination
in 1958 it was felt that B.C.G. vaccination should be maintained as heretofore.
Considerable difficulties were met in ensuring that the two schemes did not
overlap. It might have been expected that parental response to offers of B.C.G.
vaccination might have been less enthusiastic in the face of these difficulties.
In fact this was not so and the proportion accepting, which had fallen slightly
the previous year,rose again to a slightly higher level.
which had fallen slightly the previous year,rose again to a slightly higher level.
| 1958 | 1957 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | |||
| Parents approached | 3108 | 3256 | ||
| Parents accepting | 2185 | 70.3 | 2188 | 67,2 |
| Number tested | 2034 | 1917 | ||
| Mantoux positive | 297 | 14.6 | 203 | 10.6 |
| % Strong positive | 34.4 | 64.5 | ||
| % Weak positive | 65.6 | 35.5 | ||
| Mantoux negative | 1737 | 85.4 | 1714 | 89.4 |
| Total vaccinated | 1713 | 55.1 of children in group approached | 1688 | . 52.4 of children in group approached |
It is interesting to note that as a result of investigation of strongly Mantoux
positive children and their families at the Chest Clinic two cases of tuberculosis
were discovered;
1. a girl of 13 was Mantoux tested at school and found by X-ray
to have early tuberculosis and was admitted to High Wood
Hospital. In January 1959 she was reported as fit to return
to school on chemotherapy.
2. a boy of 13 was found to be strongly tuberculin positive.
His X-ray was clear but that of his father showed bilateral
active pulmonary tuberculosis and he was admitted to hospital
for treatment.