Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer – Monday 02 June 1947

Hunt for Small-Pox Contacts

The public health department Wombwell have taken urgent steps during the week-end to deal with the situation caused by the discovery of small-pox contacts In the district.

There has been rush for vaccination especially at Wombwell Main and the village of Broomhill, the districts immediately affected.

The Medical Officer (Dr. J, C. Pickup) has vaccinated several hundred people while private practitioners have also had their quotas. It is now known that contacts visited the Empire Theatre, Wombwell, and the swimming baths, Wombwell, last week.

To-day Dr. Pickup asked for the co-operation the Press appealing to people who visited the Empire Theatre at the first house last Wednesday or the second house last Thursday to submit to vaccination. A similar request made those who were at Wombwell Baths between 6 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. last Thursday.

He said he wanted to make it clear that there was no harm people visiting Wombwell Empire Theatre, where full precautions against the possibility of infection have been taken. Also there was no need to close Wombwell Baths, as the water would constantly changed and chlorinated.

There are not as yet any actual cases of small-pox in Wombwell, nor, so far Dr. Pickup knows, have any small-pox victims visited the town.