[Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Leatherhead U.D.C.

  • Leatherhead (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1947
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Leatherhead U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    6:- PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE, Table* VI shev/s th-. numb- r of eases cf infectious disease notified during 1947, classified according to ago and sex, together with the number cf patients removed to isolation hospital, and th.. number of deaths, if any, from the various diseases. Smallpox:- No case of smallpox was notified during the year. No primary vaccination or re-vaccination was performed by the Medical Officer of Health under the Public Honlth(Smallpox Prevention) Regulations, 1917. Vaccination:- It may b>_- noted that one cf the results of the National Health Service ^ct will be th-.. abolition of compulsory vaccination and of the, appointment of public vaccinator. Instead local health authorities, in this district the Surrey County Council, arc required to make a scheme for providing vaccination for all who seek it. Th- County Council proposes that treatment should be given either by the applicant’s own doctor, cr by its own staff, at tlm nearest Health Centre. At the request of th County Council, the local supervision of the scheme and the keeping of records he v . been made the duty of this District Council’s Medical Cfficor of Hoalth. Scarlet Fever:- Twenty-two cases of scarlet fever were notified during the year, compared with thirty-throe notified during the previous year. The case rate per 1,000 population was 0,85 as against 1.37 fer England and Wales. Four patients were admitted tc hospital; the r* mainct- r wore nursed in their own homes. Th; proportion cf homo nursed cases is much higher than usual. For a number of years the harm nursing of scarlet fever in this district has recc ivod encouragement in homos where- adequate isolation and nursin'; could be provided. The continued and increasing shortage cf hospital beds may make the home nursing of uncomplicated cases of scarlet fever a necessity in th; future. For part cf this year the hospital authority found its staff s, occupied with the outbreak of infantilo paralysis that admission cf scarl.-t fever cases was granted only if the nc-.-d was supported by the Medi c a 1 0ff ic o ref He al t h. Nevertheless, it would be unwise fer scarlet fever to be considered too lightly as an illness; its treatment demands at least two or throe we ,.ks in bed, with a further period of convalescence, and medical attention at r gular int rvals throughout. Bight hu. ria:- Two cases of diphtheria were notified: there wo re no cases in the pro vious year. The cas.. rate per 1,000 population was 0.08 against 0.13 for England and Wales, There wore no deaths. One of the patients was an adult, th-. second a boy aged 4 years: neither had be-on immunised against the disease. They We.ro both tre atcd in hospital. Eighthoria Immun 1 sation:- active immunisation against diphtheria has now been in operation in the district since ]935 and can claim a part in th-... reduction of the inci :oncc and mortality rates which has occurred. The downward tendency of these rates can be seen by r f- rring to Table V. Th aim of the immunisa¬ tion scheme is that ev ry child should receive a promary treatment of two inj cticns commencing at about the age cf nine months, with fu^sr..-single injections at five, ten and fifteen years of ago to reinforce tho original treatment. It is not claimed oven with such treatment that absolute immunisation will bo attained by every child, but there is clear evidence that the risk cf an untreated child contracting diphtheria is four times as great as that of an immunised child, and that th-. risk of death is nearly thirty times a s great• 17
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