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B.C.G. Inoculation
The follow-up in connection with the Medical Research Council's Tuberculosis
Vaccine Clinical Trial continues, and the following report on the
progress of the trial has been submitted by Dr T. M. Pollock, Physician in
charge:-
Tuberculosis Vaccines Clinical Trial
During 1953, the investigation into tuberculosis vaccines in which the
Tottenham Public Health Authorities are co operating with the Medical Research
Council, continued This scheme is being undertaken to discover the duration
and degree of protection afforded by the vaccine in the general population,
and in Tottenham it began in 1951. Twenty-one other London boroughs, besides
areas in Manchester and Birmingham, are taking part, and the 54,000 volunteers
in the scheme some of whom were vaccinated during their last terms at school,
are now being followed up to determine the value of the vaccine. Seven
hundred and seventy seven young people in Tottenham are included.
The follow up consists mainly of a Health Visitor's visit and an annual
chest X-ray During 1953 as in the previous year, the Health Visitors concerned
in the visiting played a great part in the successful progress of the
trial. At these visits details of the scheme were explained to the parents,
and encouragement given to the young people concerned to take advantage of the
necessary X-ray examination During these visits the Health Visitors also
recorded data essential to the investigation. The X-ray Unit visited
Tottenham Municipal Medical Centre, Lordship Lane, last December, when invitations
were sent to the group numbering 199, who left school in the Sumner of
1951 About three-quarters of the young people invited attended for examination,
a slight decline from the high figures of the previous year The X-rays
are a great health safeguard in adolescents at atime of life when tuberculosis