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

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

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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

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    Epping Urban District Council To the Chairman and Members of the Epping Urban District Council. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have pleasure in presenting to you the Annual Report for the year ending 31st December, 1947, on the health and sanitary circumstances of the district. It was on 15th April, 1947, that I took office as Medical Officer of Health of the district in succession to Dr. Watney, to whom I am grateful for the medical statistical data in respect of the period covered by the report prior to that date. The matter of greatest concern during the year was the occurrence of the most serious epidemic of Infantile Paralysis which has ever taken place in the country. Between May and December 8,157 cases were notified in the British Isles. Owing to the tragic nature of this disease, striking down suddenly and indiscrimina- tingly both children and adults in the prime of life and vigour, a great deal of public anxiety was prevalent. Many were the con- sultations held over slightly ill children at this time, as the danger was ever in the public eye; and no one can say how many of them may have actually been infected with a very mild form of the disease which mercifully failed to develop into the dreaded paraly- tic form. All possible steps were taken to limit the spread of infection and to allay the general anxiety, and it is satisfying to note that in this district only two confirimed cases of the disease occurred during the year among persons normally resident in the district, and that recovery took place in both cases. Six other cases were notified from St. Margaret’s Hospital, of which two on further observation were not confirmed, and the other four were residents of neighbouring districts served by the hospital. An outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in July, 1947, at the residential nursery attached to St. Margaret’s Hospital. Six chil- dren were affected, one of whom died. Routine investigation showed four other children to be carriers of the infecting organ- ism, though these children did not become ill. All the above cases and carriers were removed to Isolation Hospital immediately on detection. Quarantine precautions were instituted from the outset.