View report page

Diphtheria Prevention.
Pour clinics were opened during the year while by
arrangement with the divisional school nodical officer
children were offered immunisation at school as an
alternative and in addition all children in the large
shelters were immunised by the doctors at the various medical
aid posts. Children attending the wartime nurseries are of
course immunised as a routine measure. In all, 3,292
children were immunised during the year but in peace time
the births number some 4,000 a year,(proportionately less
now with the smaller population), so that a much larger
number must be immunised annually if the proportion is to
reach 75% at which stage the disease is expected to begin
dying out.
Vaccination.
Public vaccinators now number throe instead of four,
not counting Lambeth Hospital, and one of the two vaccination
officers has been called up the work being continued by the
one remaining officer with clerical assistance. Numbers
of births and vaccinations declined during the early part of
the year but with the returning population later numbers
increased. The movement of the population made the tracing
of cases difficult and arduous but a fair measure of success
resulted. In the more strenuous times vaccination officers
gave material clerical assistance in the mortuaries for
civilian war deaths as well as in other directions. There
were 584 successful primary vaccinations in infants, and
24 over one year and 22 successful re-vaccinations.
Disinfecting Department.
There has been a marked fall in disinfection owing
to the smaller numbers of infectious disease notifications
but to counter balance this a large number of shelters were
infested v/ith bugs and re-infested again and again In spite
of all that could be done to prevent this happening.
12,731 articles were disinfected and on 8,931 occasions
were promises visited for various purposes in connexion with
disinfection.
7.