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43
Two patients were bacteriological cases, while five were nasal
cases, of which one had recently had his tonsils and adenoids
removed. A throat infection followed on a similar operation to
another child.
Place of Treatment.
All but six of the cases notified were admitted to the South
Harrow Hospital. Of these six, two who, when diagnosed, were
in-patients of London Hospitals, were removed to the London
County Council Isolation Hospital, one was admitted to the London
Fever Hospital, a carrier was treated at home, one child escaped
from the district but was shortly afterwards admitted to the
isolation hospital serving the district to which his parents had
removed him, while one child died at home before his removal
had been requested.
Deaths.
Eight deaths were recorded as due to diphtheria, a case
mortality of the notified cases of nearly 13 per cent., though one
fatality was that of a child admitted on the eighth day of illness
in December, 1937, and died on January 1st, 1938.
Immunization.
For most of the year the same arrangements as obtained in
previous years were continued. From November, however,
approval was given to the two dose A.P.T. method, the rate of
the remuneration to the general practitioners was amended and the
antigen was provided free. In practice, most of the local
practitioners continue to favour the three-shot method, using
T.A.M. as the antigen.
The number of children inoculated, namely 956, is a welcome
increase on the figures for recent years, the response in general,
apart from the year the scheme was started having been very poor,
only 315 children being done in 1936 and 226 in 1937. The increase
this year must, in some degree, be due to the efforts made to
concentrate on children of 9 to 12 months of age. The health
visitors were asked to make a point of discussing the subject to
the mothers of infants of this age, the medical practitioners were
asked to co-operate, and a letter is sent to the parents of each child
attaining the age of nine months, pointing out the advisability
of the child's being immunized, and more particularly at this age.
That these efforts are responsible for this increase is suggested
by the fact that out of the 956 children inoculated, 225 were about
one year of age. It is most probable, also, that when the parent
decides to have the baby done, older children are treated at the
same time. Actually 555 of the children treated were under five
years of age. These numbers, of course, relate only to those
dealt with under the Council's scheme, and relate therefore to
the children of families in general of income limit of under £250
a year.