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 1970
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton]
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| Disease | Under 1 | I- 2 | 3-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15- 24 | 25-44 | 45-64 | 65 & over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 17 | 158 | 198 | 329 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 738 | ||
| Dysentery | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | 21 |
| Scarlet Fever | — | — | 9 | 23 | 5 | 5 | — | — | _ | 42 |
| Whooping Cough | 4 | 8 | 15 | 25 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 53 |
| Infective Jaundice | — | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | 20 |
| Tuberculosis (Resp.): | ||||||||||
| Males | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 15 | |||||
| Females | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| Tuberculosis (Non-Resp.): | ||||||||||
| Males | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 4 |
| Females | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||
| Acute Meningitis | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Typhoid Fever | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 3 |
| Food Poisoning | 4 | 2 | 4 | 44 | — | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | 65 |
| Malaria | ~ | -- | ~ | ~ | ~ | 1 | ~ | 1 | ||
| Totals | 31 | 172 | 232 | 432 | 27 | 31 | 36 | 15 | 9 | 985 |
General
A total of 985 notifications were received during the year, compared
with 1,274 during 1969. The fall was principally accounted
for by reductions in the numbers of cases of measles and dysentery
reported.
Diphtheria
Although, since the inception of the Borough in 1965, there has
been no case of diphtheria notified, there should be no grounds for
complacency, since it is only by a high level of immunisation among
children that this serious condition will continue to be controlled.
In March a number of carriers of diphtheria were found in a
school in a neighbouring borough. Twelve pupils at this school lived
in the Borough. All except one of them had been immunised against
diphtheria in infancy. Nose and throat swabs from all the children
proved negative, but immunisation booster injections for diphtheria
were given where it was deemed necessary.
Streptococcal Infection
In July, mothers, babies midwives and student midwives, were
involved in a haemolytic streptococcal outbreak in a Maternity Ward
20