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VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION
Section 26
Vaccination
The scheme to provide for the vaccination of infants by medical
officers at the centres has produced dramatic results, and a better
percentage of infant vaccination was achieved last year than when
vaccination was compulsory. In 1947 the percentage of vaccinated
children under 1 year of age was 41%. In 1949 the figure had fallen
to 18% and last year the percentage for the Area was no less than
51%. This indicates that the intensive education of parents on the
importance of vaccination, which has been a routine function of the
medical and nursing staff of the Area health service, is bearing fruit
and is greatly aided by the facilities now available at the clinics.
The following table records the number of persons known to have
been vaccinated or re-vaccinated during 1953, by general practitioners
and clinic medical officers.

Immunisation against Diphtheria and Whooping Cough
As mentioned in my last annual report, it was decided towards the
end of 1952 that general use should be made of the new combined
diphtheria pertussis vaccine in preference to the previous policy of
providing immunisation against diphtheria and whooping cough in
two separate courses of injections. The new vaccine has the advantage
of reducing the number of injections required from five or six to only
three.
The success of previous efforts to secure that all children were
immunised against diphtheria can be measured by the fact that this
disease has been virtually eliminated, but as was pointed out by the
Minister of Health early in 1953 the continuance of this happy state
of affairs is conditional upon the maintenance of an adequate level
of immunisation. To ensure that this is done the Minister suggested
that the aim of all authorities should be to secure that at least 75%
of babies are immunised before the end of the first year of life.
80