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
Mitcham 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Mitcham]
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The following table gives details of notifications and the number of each age group immunised:—
| NOTIFICATIONS | DEATHS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at date of notification. | Number of cases notified | Number of cases included in preceding column in which the child had completed a full course of immunisation. | Age at date of death | Number of deaths | Number of cases included in preceding column in which the child had completed a full course of immunisation. |
| Under 1 | 1 | — | Under 1 | — | — |
| 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — |
| 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — |
| 3 | 4 | — | 3 | — | — |
| 4 | 2 | — | 4 | — | — |
| 5-9 | 23 | 10 | 5-9 | — | — |
| 10-14 | 19 | 7 | 10-15 | — | — |
| Over 14 | 11 | ||||
| Totals | S3 | 17 | Totals | — . | — |
The number of cases is a considerable increase over 1944,
when ten cases only were notified. It will be noted that school
children accounted for a large proportion of the cases, and most
of these cases occurred in the Singlegate and Fortescue areas and
in the Lower Mitcham area. Class swabbing failed to reveal any
source of infection, and swabbing of Lower Mitcham Junior
School only showed three children with positive swabs, and they
cleared up very rapidly and were probably only temporary carriers.
A total of 17 cases had been immunised as babies, and in
every case a mild attack only occurred. One immunised child
who had been absent from school for several days with a sore
throat, returned to school and intended to sing in the school
concert two days later. On clinical examination her throat was
very suspicious and the diagnosis was confirmed when examination
of the swab showed a pure culture of K.L.B. Swabs from
this child became completely negative within two days, and I
believe that mild cases of diphtheria occur in immunised children