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71
VACCINATION.
Table X (appendix) is a return respecting vaccination in
Kensington in 1898 (the return for 1899 is not yet due)
compiled by Mr. Shattock, the vaccination officer, whose
able discharge of the very onerous duties of his office under
the new Act, deserves recognition. It appears that of 3,651
infants whose births were returned in "Birth List Sheets"
(col. 2) during the year, 2,728 were successfully vaccinated,
and 18 were returned as "insusceptible of vaccination." In
19 cases vaccination was postponed by medical certificate:
413 infants died before attaining the age for vaccination;
whilst some 407 cases, from " removal to places out of the parish
unknown, or which cannot be reached, and cases not having
been found," are unaccounted for. These cases are, with those
of "conscientious objectors " (55, against 5 in 1897), equivalent
to a "loss " of 12'7 per cent., as compared with the number of
births registered; the losses in the preceding ten years, successively,
having been 6.0, 6.5, 6.7, 8.0, 8.7, 7.7, 8.4, 90, 10.1,
and 10.7 per cent. These figures clearly indicate that the proportion
of unvaccinated persons in this parish is on the
increase ; but Kensington, apparently, still stands in a position
superior to that of the metropolis, as a whole, for, as stated
in the annual report of the Local Government Board for
1898-99, the average of lost cases in the metropolitan district
so far back as 1896 was 26.4 per cent. The actual figures,
showing loss, both for town and country, during the twelve
years 1885-96, as set out in the report, are as follows:—
Metropolis.
Cases lost.
Rest of England.
Cases lost.
1885 7.0 per cent: 5.5 per cent.
1886 7.8 „ 6.1
1887 9.0 6.7 „
1888 10.3 „ 8.2 „
1889 11.6 „ 9.6 „
1890 13.9 ,, 10.9
1891 16.4 „ 12.9
1892 18.4 „ 14.3 „
1893 18.2 „ 15.7 „
1894 20.6 19.0 „
1895 24.9 „ 19.8 „
1896 26.4 „ 22.3 „