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
Merton 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton]
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PROPHYLACTIC MEASURES
The table below gives details of initial protection given by the use of prophylactics against diptheria, whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis and tetanus:—
| Disease against which protection given | Number of primary courses given | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year of Birth | Others under 16 years | Total | |||||
| 1969 | 1968 | 1967 | 1966 | 1962/65 | |||
| Diphtheria | 117 | 892 | 75 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1,155 |
| Whooping Cough | 117 | 890 | 75 | 11 | 28 | 6 | 1,127 |
| Poliomyelitis (Oral) | 93 | 831 | 60 | 15 | 51 | 31 | 1,081 |
| Tetanus | 117 | 892 | 75 | 11 | 53 | 32 | 1,180 |
| Measles | 1 | 96 | 274 | 181 | 266 | 23 | 841 |
The table below gives the percentage of children born in 1967 and 1968 who had been given protection against whooping cough, diphtheria and poliomyelitis with the figure for England and Wales shown in brackets:—
| Percentage of Children Inoculated | ||
|---|---|---|
| Born in 1967 | Born in 1968 | |
| Whooping Cough | 86 (81) | 67 (66) |
| Diptheria | 87 (83) | 67 (67) |
| Poliomyelitis | 86 (80) | 65 (65) |
The continuing need for immunisation and vaccination is brought
home to the public at large by the use of leaflets, posters and displays,
and by the teaching of the Health Visitors at the clinics and in the
course of their district visits.
Reinforcement Measures
In addition to the above measures of primary protection the
following numbers were given re-inforcement doses:—
Diphtheria 3,381
Whooping Cough 1,142
Poliomyelitis 3,426
Tetanus 3,359
Poliomyelitis
At the end of the year, 89,360 persons had completed a full
course of immunisation since the scheme began in 1956. The age
distribution of these completed cases is given below:—
Persons born 1943-68 61,273
Persons born 1933-42 15,791
Others 12,296
Total 89,360
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