[Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Dudley County Borough.

  • Dudley (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1966
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Dudley County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/120 (page 9)
    Ihe Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the County Borough of Dudley Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present the Anpual Report on the work of the Health, Welfare and School Health Services for the year 1966. ^ This has been a year of change as a result of the extension of the Borough boundaries to include the Urban District of Brier- ley Hill, most of the Urban Districts of Sedgley and Coseley and small parts of Amblecote Urban District and Tipton Borough. This major re-organisation took place on 1st April under the West Midland Order whjen five enlarged County Boroughs were created in the West Midlands. The population of Dudley in- creased from 64,000 to 176,000 and the acreage from 4,328 to 14,900 acres. Because of the increase in the size of all the Council’s Departments it was unfortunately necessary to leave the Council House. Excellent accommodation was found for most of the Health and Welfare Department at Dudley House in the centre of the town, the environmental health services were moved to ' The Limes ”, Dudley Road, Sedgley, some three miles away. The day to day administration of the School Health Service continued from the Central Clinic under the direction of a Senior Assistant Medical Officer. At a meeting held on Sunday, 1st May, 1966, at the offices of the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board those present repre- senting Local Health Authorities, the Regional Hospital Board, the Public Health Laboratory Service, the Ministry of Health^ Birmingham University and Smallpox Consultants were told of an outbreak of suspected smallpox of the variola minor type which had developed in the West Midlands. A meeting such as this is invaluable not only because everyone is kept well in- formed but also because after discussion it is possible to come to a decision regarding the distribution of vaccine, surveillance, communications, the disinfestation of ambulances and their crews and many other matters of common interest. In addition a press statement was issued at the end of the meeting stating that the risk to the public was quite remote and certainly did not require any clamour for vaccination. The public were also re-assured that the supplies of vaccine were sufficient for those who were at risk or had been in contact, and that this policy would be adequate to prevent the spread of this mild disease. Throughout the period general practitioners were kept informed of develop- ments and because of the thoroughness of the preparations and the mildness of the disease they were not on this occasion over- whelmed with requests for vaccination as in 1962. In May and June other cases were notified in Pontypool and again in Solihull and Salford, but no connection was ever established between