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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 1961 was 538. This is a
decrease of one from that of the previous year.
In Greenwich during the last 11 years 14,486 births have been
registered, and for the same period only 7,429 vaccinations have
been effected, a figure equivalent to 51.3%. In this connection it
is only fair to state that a number of these vaccinations were
effected in conformity with the requirements concerning the issue
of international vaccination certificates.
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.
In order that a high vaccinal state be maintained in the department,
your Medical Officer of Health carried out 29 vaccinations
to members of the staff who would most likely be involved should
any outbreak of smallpox occur in the area.
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