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13
It was largely due to the work of Dr Ian Taylor of the
London County Council, together with many other medical officers
that the Ministry in 1961 produced a recommended schedule of
immunisation.
This has now been generally accepted both by general practitioners
and clinic medical officers and it has led to more
effective protection as well as simplifying the procedure if the
family moves to another area. The schedule has been modified
recently in that it is now recommended that vaccination against
smallpox should be deferred until the child is over one year old
instead of being carried out at the age of 4 - 5 months.
Smallpox.
No cases of smallpox were notified during 1963. Following
the importation of cases from the Far East in 1961-62 a more
careful check of persons arriving in this country was made and
as information was received that a number of cases of smallpox
had occurred in Stockholm all visitors from the Scandinavian
countries were subjected to careful surveillance, particularly
those who had no evidence of recent vaccination and who had
refused vaccination on entry into this country.
In several cases general medical practitioners asked for a second
opinion in cases where they were in doubt. The majority of
these were found to be chickenpox.
Diphtheria.
No cases of diphtheria occurred in the Borough during the
year. Cases did occur in adjoining areas and in children who
attended schools which were also attended by Hampstead children,
but early and effective action by the other Boroughs prevented
the spread of the disease here.
Thirty years ago, before the introduction of immunisation
against diphtheria it was not uncommon to have fifty to one
hundred cases in Hampstead per year with deaths in about one
tenth of the cases. Now it is a matter of comment if there is
one case, but this position has only been arrived at by ensuring
that a high proportion of children are protected by immunisation
and it can only be maintained by the continuation of immunisation
at the same level.
Typhoid Fever.
At the end of February and early March, 1963, an outbreak
of typhoid fever occurred at Zermatt, Switzer]and, which affected
a number of people who had gone there on holiday. The nature