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At Council clinics
2,993
By general practitioners
214
TOTAL
3,207
The decline in the number of cases of measles notified in 1968, as
compared with previous years, even though the vaccination campaign did
not commence until May was most noticeable and encouraging. Numbers of
cases of measles notified are given below for comparison.
1963 1,296
1964 428
1965 1,084
1966 515
1967 296
The Minister commended the advice of the Joint Committee on
Vaccination and Immunisation that measles vaccination is best effected by
one injection of live attenuated measles virus vaccine administered in the
second year of life, and the Council's schedule of vaccination was amended
to include routine measles vaccination at the age of fourteen months.
Vaccination and Immunisation against other Diseases.
Concern is felt at the continued reduction in acceptance rates for
the immunisation of children bom in 1966 and 1967.
While population movement, in part contributed to by the scarcity
of low-priced family accommodation, and the extramural adoption of
illegitimates, are reasons for this low acceptance rate, I am of the
opinion that an important factor in the reduction of acceptance is the
apathy of parents which is fostered by the fact that the diseases against
which prophylaxis continues to be offered have become progresively more
rare and there is little first-hand experience of them. The modification
to the Council's immunisation programme already referred to has amended
the ages at which triple immunisation against diphtheria, tetanus and
whooping cough is completed from four months of age to twelve months,
and for poliomyelitis from eight months to twelve months of age. As a
result, fewer completed courses of immunisation have been recorded
during the year than would have been under the old schedule.
The returns of the number of immunisations carried out at Council
clinics and by general practitioners during the year are as follows:-
Poliomyelitis Immunisation.
Total primary
courses completed
Total reinforcing
doses
1968
1967
1968
1967
At Council clinics-
Salk
3
2
Nil
Nil
Sabin
1,656
2,324
1,589
2,414
By general practitioners-
Salk
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Sabin
441
384
176
160
TOTAL
2,100
2,710
1,765
2,574