[Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Brentwood U.D.C.

  • Brentwood (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1948
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Brentwood U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD SUPPLIES. 3Iilk Sampling. Pasteurised Milk— Number of Samples taken Number of Samples satisfactory Undesignated Milk— Number of Samples taken Number of Samples satisfactory [Three Samples failed to pass the coliform test, one Sample also contained excessive numbers of bacteria.] 16 16 31 28 Ice-creajii Sampling. Number of Samples taken ... ... ... ... ... 31 Number of Samples satisfactory ... ... ... ... 27 Meat and Other Foods. Number of Inspections ... ... ... .., ... ... 138 Total weight of meat and other foodstuffs condemned:— Tons. Cwts. Qrs. Lbs. 1 ... 11 ... 0 ... 201 Knackers Yards. Number of Premises ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Number of Inspections ... ... ... ... ... ... 19 PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES. Notifiable Diseases. As already pointed out I am able to report a total incidence of notifiable diseases which has only once been bettered since 1939. The highest peak was touched during the war year of 1941, when the notifications totalled 1,790. This figure was mainly the result of a widespread epidemic of Measles. In 1948 the total of all notifiable diseases was 242. Diphtheria. A noteworthy feature of this report is that only two cases of Diphtheria occurred during the whole year, the lowest figure ever recorded in the district. That this is largely due to the cumulative effect of immunisation can hardly be doubted. Such a figure, while being most satisfactory, is, however, no cause for complacency. The fight against Diphtheria must be waged unceasingly. Every child should be immunised as soon as possible after reaching the age of nine months, and should thereafter receive re-inforcing injections at appropriate ages. The aim is a nil return for this dangerous disease. The responsibility for Diphtheria immunisation is now entirely in the hands of Local Health Authorities It is for them to provide propaganda and service. This Council instituted Diphtheria immunisation, on my advice, in 1936, and the work has been carried on consistently since then. In 1945 the County Council took over responsibility, but where local schemes were considered to be satis- factory, as was the case in Brentwood, no change was made in current arrange- ments. With the coming into being of the new National Health Service Act, it is for the Local Health Authority to organise Diphtheria immunisation through its Area Health Committee. Pending any new scheme, I was asked in August to carry on the actual work of immunisation as heretofore at the Count3 Council’s Clinic.