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DIPHTHERIA IMMUNISATION.
There were 674 children under five immunised in the clinics
during the year, 62 done by private practitioners under the
Council's scheme and 34 done in the day nurseries, making a
total of 770 under fives. Of the school age group there were
52 done in the clinics, 10 by private medical practitioners and
568 done in the schools. Reinforcing or booster doses were
given to 8 under five and 75 school children in the clinics
and 1,456 over five in the schools. The figures of children
done in school include some children from other districts
attending schools in our area.
There were no children immunised at less than 11 months
of age, but 75 were immunised at 11 months. It is very noticeable
that a very high proportion of these first injections are
done close to the first birthday, showing that our educational
efforts to get immunisation done at 1 year have borne fruit.
We are now making similar efforts to get immunisation done
at 7—8 months, and if we are as successful as these figures
seem to show with regard to our previous education, we should
find next year a far greater iramber under 1 year and a high
proportion of them at earlier ages than 11 months.
At the end of last year the responsibility for immunisation
was placed on all Welfare Authorities by thS Ministry of
Health. This made no change as far as we were concerned
except to adopt a new system of record cards. As there has
been no death in an immunised child under 15, there has been
no need to comply with the direction to report specially on
such an incident.