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
Carshalton 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Carshalton]
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The following figures shew the cases notified during each of the past ten years and the percentage of children under five years of age immunised against whooping cough at the beginning of each year:—
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Whilst this substantial fall in notified cases represents a real reduction
in prevalence, there probably are a number of cases of highly modified
disease which escape detection. It is known that the present whooping
cough vaccine whilst bestowing complete immunity in a high proportion of
the children inoculated, also confers a large measure of protection, short
of 100%, on the remainder and this whilst not preventing infection, renders
the ensuing attack so mild that diagnosis is extremely difficult.
The present total of 41 cases is much the lowest yet recorded. There
was of course no epidemic, prevalence being distributed irregularly over
the twelve months. There were no deaths.
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| St. Helier North | St. Helier South | St. Helier West | North-East | Northwest | Central | South-East | Southwest | Total | |
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Meningococcal Infection
No case of meningitis or other form of meningococcal infection was
notified. Only 8 such cases have occurred in the last 10 years. The last
minor epidemic of this disease was in the first five months of 1940 when 10
cases occurred in that period. Meningococcal meningitis was one of the
diseases in which the great therapeutic value of the sulpha drugs was first
demonstrated. Their use completely transformed the prognosis of what
was a very fatal disease. Success in combating this infection still depends
on the prompt application of these new chemical and anti-biotic agents.
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