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INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Sickness benefit, contacts or carriers of infectious disease.
Under the National Insurance Act, 1946, sickness benefit will,
in certain circumstances, be payable to persons who are deemed to
be incapable of work through being contacts or carriers, although
not actually ill themselves. Only exceptionally is it necessary
to require contacts or carriers of infectious disease to stay away
from work, and then only in the case of more serious infections.
The Medical Officer of Health may issue a certificate where
there is a special risk saying such a person should absent
himself from his employment for a time; and it is in such
circumstances that the right to draw sickness benefit is
occasioned.
Benefit will only be paid on the production of a certificate
by a Medical Officer of Health that the person is under medical
observation by reason of being a carrier of infectious disease,
or has been in contact with a case of infectious disease (as the
case may be) in circumstances which make it advisable to exclude
him from work.
This Act applies particularly to food handlers, e.g. persons
employed in cafes, canteens and restaurants.
During the year two such certificates were issued.
DIPHTHERIA.
The Borough has now been free from cases of diphtheria since
1946, and if parents will continue to take advantage of the
immunisation service offered, there is no reason why the disease
should not be entirely stamped out. The responsibility for
providing this service rests with the County Council by virtue of
section 26 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, and the
Medical Officer of Health, who is also the Divisional Medical
Officer for the County Council, organises the service within the
Borough.
Clerical work on immunisation is conducted in the Public
Health Department on behalf of the County Council for which 35%
of a clerk's salary is reimbursed.
Arrangements also exist with general medical practitioners
to carry out diphtheria and whooping cough immunisation. A
doctor taking part is expected to send records to the Authority
of the immunisation carried out in the course of his general
medical service; the Authority provides the record cards and pays
a fee to the doctor for each completed record card received.
Doctors are able to collect prophylactic material from the
Public Health Department or from the Central Public Health
Laboratory at Colindale.
Diphtheria Immunisation Clinics are held at:-
Gosbury Hill Clinic
1, Gosbury Hill, Hook.
Telephone; Elmbridge 5737.
South Place Clinic,
Ewell Road, Surbiton.
Telephones: Elmbridge 4897.
Friday mornings at
11 o'clock.
Monday mornings at
11 o'clock.
lor Diphtheria immunisation may be carried out by patient's
own Doctor, as described above).
13.