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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Poliomyelitis
It is a happy augury that during the year which saw a substantial rise
in the number of children vaccinated against poliomyelitis, only one case
of this disease was notified. Moreover the illness in a boy of years was of
the non-paralytic type from which he made an uneventful recovery. Until
1958 the annual average of cases since the epidemic year of 1947 was 7.5.
During the twelve years 1947-1958, 83 cases were notified distributed
between the sexes and age groups as follows:—
POLIOMYELITIS CASES 1947-58 (INCLUSIVE).
| Age Group | Paralytic | Non Paralytic | Total | Paralytic | Non Paralytic | Total | Paralytic | Non Paralytic | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | _ | _ | |||||||
| — | |||||||||
| — | — | — | |||||||
| — | — | — | |||||||
| — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | - | 1 | ||
(Figures in parenthesis denote deaths)
Two points are worth noting.
(1) One third of all cases occurred over the age of 15 years.
(2) The higher fatality in adults—6 deaths in 17 cases (35 %) in persons
over 15 years of age.
Poliomyelitis Vaccination.
The Ministry of Health's extended scheme for poliomyelitis vaccination
to include expectant mothers and all children over six months of age born
in 1943 and after, became operative from November, 1957, but owing to
practical difficulties could not be put into effect until early in 1958. Work
in connection with this scheme during the year under review was largely
concerned with vaccinating these children in the extended age groups and
expectant mothers. In September, 1958, the Ministry authorised a further
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