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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Exclusion from work of Contacts of Infectious Disease
By regulations made under the National Insurance Act, 1946,
and the Public Health (Infectious Disease) Regulations, 1953,
persons may be excluded from work and entitled to National Health
sickness benefit if, in the opinion of the Medical Officer of
Health, such persons are contacts or carriers of disease and it is
necessary to exclude them from work in order to prevent the spread
of infection.
These Regulations apply particularly to food handlers in
foodshops, also cooks, and kitchen hands 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 services offered, there is no reason why the disease
should not remain entirely stamped out. The responsibility for
providing this service rested with the County Council by virtue of
section 26 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, and the
Medical Officer of Health, who was also the Divisional Medical
Officer for the County Council, organised the service within the
Borough.
Administrative work on immunisation was conducted in the
Public Health Department on behalf of the County Council for which
35 of a clerk's salary was reimbursed.
Arrangements also exist with general medical practitioners
to carry out diphtheria, whooping cough and other immunisation.
A doctor taking part is expected to send records to the Authority
of the immunisation carried out in the course of his practice; the
Authority provides the record cards and pays a fee to the doctor
for each completed card received.
Doctors are able to collect prophylactic material from the
Public Health Department or from Grange Road Health Centre,
Kingston upon Thames.
Diphtheria Immunisation Clinics are held at:-
Gosbury Hill Clinic, Monday mornings at
1, Gosbury Hill, 9.30 to 11 o'clock.
Chessington.
Telephone: Lower Hook 5737.
South Place Clinic, Monday mornings at
Ewell Road, Surbiton. 11 o'clock.
Telephone: Elmbridge 4897
(or Diphtheria Immunisation may be carried out by patient's own
doctor, as described above).
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