Report of the medical officer of health with reference to smallpox in the city.

  • Liverpool (England)
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the medical officer of health with reference to smallpox in the city. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    At present the area of the Sanitary Authority is, for vaccination purposes, split up into iiulepemlent units, each under separate control. However much the various bodies desire to act in co-opera- tion—and there is abundant proof that they do so desire—there must necessarily arise delays, inconvenience, misunderstanding's, want of interchange of information, which cannot operate otlier than preju- dicially to the public when time is an essential element towards success. In Liverpool since January last, a large number of persons requiring vaccination, or re-vaccination, numbering approximately some thousands, have been referred to the Vaccination Officers by the Health Department, a large number of whom had through lapse of time lost the protection atforded by their primary vaccination, whilst many liad never been vaccinated at all. 'I’he following may be quoted : — 28, L Street- A family of six persons occupied the above house, and one of the family, a child aged J years, who was unvaccinated, deA^eloped small- pox, which was reported on March 8th, and has since died. St. J Schools— The number of boys found by the Head ^faster to be unvaccinated was 24 ])er cent, in this school. 84, B—— Street— The number of inhabitants in this street is about (iOO. Fifty persons were found never to have been vaccinated at all. Indeed, one of the Public Vaccinators has found that upwards of 10 ]>er cent, of people coming for re-vaccination have never been vaccinated at all. Provision for Pe-vaccixation AVanted. Every day reveals the lamentable deficiency of the law in regard to vaccination. The President of the Local Government Board him- self very properly laid down the importance of re-vaccinating inmates of an infected house, or contacts with an infected person. Unfor- tunately the law has never contemplated this necessity, and conse- quently people are deprived of the protection which the law should ensure them. Glaring cases of the mischief resulting from the want