[Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Surrey County Council.

  • Surrey (England). County Council.
Date:
1946
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Surrey County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    12 posters at Welfare Centres. The Health Visitors have found young children to be comparatively free from lice infestation apart from members of families with older children at school, who are vermin¬ ous. Supplies of Lethane hair oil and other preparations have been made available to mothers, and fine toothed combs have been lent from the centres. Where necessary, children have been referred to cleansing stations for disinfestation of person and clothing. Immunisation Against Diphtheria. During the year 7,461 children under five years of age in the Council’s Welfare area were immunised against diphtheria. A large part of this immunisation was carried out by the medical staff at the Welfare Centres. The following table gives details of the number of children under the age of 5 years in the County Council’s Maternity and Child Welfare area who had been immunised against diphtheria on the 31st December, 1946. Sanitary District. No. of children immunised. Population 0—5 years Per cent, immunised. Banstead U.D. ... 898 2,180 41.2 Caterham and Warlingham U.D. 1,240 2,270 54.6 Chertsey U.D. ... 1,502 2,370 63.4 Dorking U.D. 885 1,500 59.0 Egham U.D. 874 1,490 58.7 Epsom and Ewell M.B. 2,500 4,570 54.7 Esher U.D. 2,049 3,690 71.8 Farhham U.D. 1,053 1,720 61.2 Frimley and Camberley U.D. 566 1,410 40.2 Godaiming M.B_ 588 1,080 54.4 Haslemere U.D. 364 880 41.4 Leatherhead U.D. 975 1,850 52.7 Malden and Coombe M.B. 1,558 3,280 47.5 Surbiton M.B. ... 1,774 4,490 39.5 Sutton and Cheam M.B. 2,440 5,590 43.6 Walton and Weybridge U.D. 2,201 2,910 76.6 Woking U.D. 1,372 3,540 38.8 Bagshot R.D. 842 950 88.1 Dorking and Horley R.D. 942 1,750 53.8 Godstone R.D. ... 1,099 2,330 47.1 Guildford R.D. 998 2,690 37.1 Hambledon R.D. 600 2,150 27.9 27,920 53,690 52.0 In interpreting these figures it should be borne in mind that it has been customary up to the present not to recommend diphtheria immunisation until the child had attained the age of 9-11 months. Illegitimate Children. The Committee has continued its policy of relying mainly on voluntary homes to accommodate unmarried mothers particularly in those homes established in the County and in receipt of financial grants from the Council. During the year 1946, 35 girls were admitted to these Homes, for whom the Council accepted responsibility. Care of Premature Infants. Consideration was given to the recommendations of the Minister of Health in regard to premature infants and arrangements have since been made for implementing these recommendations as com¬ pletely as possible in present circumstances, alike in respect of entry of birth weights of 5f lb. and under on the birth notification cards, the provision of equipment for nursing at home, and of institutional care. All the Council’s hospitals have special arrangements in their maternity departments for dealing with these premature babies, including the admission of those born outside the hospital. Voluntary Inspection of Children under Five Years of Age. Some years ago the Council approved a scheme under which all the advantages of medical inspection and treatment were made available to children of pre-school age exactly as if they were children attending school. It was decided to offer routine medical inspection at every year of the child’s pre-school life ; the scheme was, of course, entirely voluntary as there is no obligation on the parent of a pre-school child to submit the child to examination. The scheme has not been as successful as was hoped, but the following table gives the number of children aged 2, 3 and 4 years who were medically inspected during the year at Infant Welfare Centres, War-time Day Nurseries, and Nursery classes :—