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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Carshalton]
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TABLE 11.
SCARLET FEVER—MULTIPLE CASES, 1959.
| Ward | No. of houses in which occurred | Total Houses | Total Cases | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Case | 2 Cases | 3 Cases | 4 Cases | |||
| St. Helier North | 8 | 3 | — | _ | 11 | 14 |
| St. Helier South | 12 | — | — | — | 12 | 12 |
| St. Helier West | 16 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 18 |
| North-East | 13 | 3 | 2 | — | 18 | 25 |
| North-West | 14 | 2 | — | — | 16 | 18 |
| Central | 9 | 3 | — | — | 12 | 15 |
| South-East | 12 | 1 | — | 1 | 14 | 18 |
| South-West | 15 | 3 | 1 | — | 19 | 24 |
| Whole District | 99 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 119 | 144 |
Diphtheria
The district was again free from diphtheria infection for the tenth year
in succession. This freedom can only be preserved by the maintenance of a
high level of effective immunisation. Effective is the operative word since it
is essential to boost the protection afforded by initial treatment in infancy by
reinforcing inoculations after an interval of a few years, certainly not more
than five, until the age of adolescence is reached.
Diphtheria Immunisation.
The immunisation scheme against diphtheria is the responsibility of the
County Council, but as with smallpox vaccination it is, with the agreement
of the District Council directed locally by the District Medical Officer of
Health.
The scheme aims at securing primary protection before the age of one
year, reinforcing that protection about the time of entry to school and thereafter
at approximately three year intervals, until the child leaves the Junior
School. The initial treatment is given either by the private doctor or the
welfare clinics and for convenience is usually combined with whooping
cough immunisation and frequently with tetanus vaccine also.
The list of infections against which protection can now be secured by
vaccination or immunisation, grows steadily and whilst it is too much to
hope for one all-embracing inoculation, three injections can now be combined,
but it is still necessary to plan a child's various injections to secure
the maximum degree of protection and the least disturbance to its normal
routine especially during the first twelve months of life. For many years the
combined efforts of the practitioners and the local health services have
succeeded in maintaining a diphtheria immunisation rate of approximately
60% for children under five years of age. This is usually raised a further
10% for children of school age since a number of parents still do not make
the necessary effort until their children enter school. Probably the fact that
this is made easier for them, in that the service is taken to the child at school,
is responsible for the acquiescence of the not too enthusiastic parents.
45