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29
VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION
In spite of the decrease in the number of births in the borough there is a tendency
for a larger number of people to use the facilities provided for immunisation against
communicable diseases. There have been marked increases in both primary courses and
reinforcing doses against poliomyelitis, diphtheria and tetanus, and a smaller increase in
primary courses against whooping-cough, but primary courses against measles have
decreased. These movements followed slight increases in primary courses against all these
diseases in the previous year.
Although, following a recommendation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation, local health authorities were advised by the Department of Health and Social
Security that vaccination against smallpox need not be a routine procedure in early
childhood and it was deleted from the Council's schedule of routine vaccination during the
year, the number of revaccinations of children, particularly around school-leaving age,
increased slightly. This presumably arises out of the requirements of travel abroad which
now becomes an important inducement in this connection. Vaccination against smallpox
continues to be available on request.