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Public Health (Smallpox Prevention) Regulations, 1917.—These
Regulations give a Medical Officer of Health power to vaccinate or
re-vaccinate without charge, any contacts of Smallpox cases willing
to submit themselves for treatment.
Vaccination.—Smallpox is a very dangerous and disfiguring
disease and prior to the introduction of compulsory vaccination in
1853, nine-tenths of smallpox victims were children under 5 years of
age. Subsequent to this period, children, by and large, escaped.
However, since 1898, when the ' conscientious objection ' clause
made its appearance, vaccinations have declined steeply and the
position deteriorated still further from 1948 when vaccination
became optional.
Glycerinated calf lymph is the standard vaccine used in this
country and the number of vaccinations carried out in the Borough
at the County Council clinics during 1956 was 597. This is an
increase of 94 over the previous year but 718 less than the figure
returned for 1951.
In Greenwich during the last 6 years 8022 births have been
registered, and for the same period only 4,219 vaccinations have been
effected, a figure equivalent to 52.6%. In 1951 the births numbered
1,351 and the vaccinations 1,315 (97.3%), but during the current
year the figures were 1,327 and 597 (44.9%) respectively.
Occasionally a smallpox scare in the country results in a jump
in the number of vaccinations effected but generally the trend is
downwards.
Today, although every precaution is taken at seaports and
airports, infected persons do occasionally slip through but the
comparative immunity of the country has hitherto been due mainly
to its high vaccination state. With the fall in the number of vaccinations
this fortunate state of affairs cannot be expected to
continue.
International Certificates (Ministry of Health Circular
20/52).—The question of authentication of International Certificates
of vaccination has now been settled by the adoption of the International
Sanitary Regulations (W.H.O. Regulations No. 2) which
replaced the International Sanitary Conventions on 1st October,
1952. The Regulations prescribe inter alia, new forms of International
Certificates of vaccination against Cholera and Smallpox
and, to be valid, the certificate must bear an approved stamp
which certifies that the signature of the Vaccinator is that of a
practising medical practitioner.