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IMMUNISATION.
Diphtheria.
During the year, 1,760 appointments were made—1,498 children completed
treatment under the Council's arrangements ; of these 1,366 were under
5 years of age. 24 children were Schick tested. In 1946, 2,088
children completed immunisation treatment. In addition 186 children
received a re-inforcing injection. Up to 31st December, 1947, 47.92% of
children under 5 years of age and 65.66% of children from 5—15 years of
age had completed immunisation treatment.
Whooping Cough.
Edmonton children are immunised against Whooping Cough. The
material used is " Glaxo Vaccine A.P.," and during the year, 886 appointments
were made for this treatment—522 children completed treatment and
3 children were given re-inforcing injection.
PREVENTION OF WHOOPING COUGH
Authority was given for the Medical Research Council to carry out
Anti-Whooping Cough Inoculation Trials in the Borough, the object being
to ascertain the preventive value of Whooping Cough Vaccine.
Inoculations are given by a Medical Research Council team at specially
arranged sessions, and for the next two years each child will be visited monthly
in its home by a special Health Visitor, who will keep a careful record of all
coughs and colds and will be prepared to take post-nasal swabs as an aid
diagnosis. A Medical Officer from the Medical Research Council will also
visit doubtful cases to establish the diagnosis.
As a check on the value of the treatment some of the children will get
an anti-catarrhal vaccine instead of pertussis antigen ; no-one engaged in the
day-to-day work of inoculation and subsequent " follow-up " will know which
vaccine any particular child has received.
Three injections are given at intervals of one month ; children between
6 and 18 months of age only will be included in the scheme, provided they
have not already had whooping cough or have not already been inoculated
against it. In addition if a child received any further inoculation against
pertussis in the next two years, it will have to be excluded from the final
statistic analysis.
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