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17
[1936
section 77 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and from 1st October 1936,
Public Health (London) Act, 1936, Section 227, of a temporary supply of Diphtheria
Anti-Toxin " for the poorer inhabitants of the district, subject to the following
conditions, that is to say, the arrangements with respect to the keeping, distribution
and use of the Diphtheria Anti-toxin shall be made in accordance with the advice
of the Medical Officer of Health."
The sections of the Public Health Acts referred to is that which enables the
authority, with the sanction of the Ministry of Health, to provide a temporary
supply of medicine, etc., for the poorer inhabitants of their district.
During the year 34,000 units of Diphtheria Anti-toxin serum were issued to
Medical Practitioners in the Borough. Of this quantity 20,000 units were sold,
the total amount received by the Council being 19s. 10d. The remaining 14,000
units were given free owing to the patients' limited means.
DIPHTHERIA PREVENTION.
The Assistant Medical Officer of Health has submitted the following report:—
During the past year considerable changes have been made in the Council's
arrangements for providing facilities for preventive immunisation against Diphtheria.
Arrangements for immunisation were first made by the Public Health Department
in 1931, since when the number of applications from parents asking for their
children to be immunised has increased steadily from year to year. It was felt,
however, that in view of the fact that there still are on an average about 700 cases
of Diphtheria every year in Islington, with a total of nearly 300 deaths from this
cause over the past 11 years, this justified further publicity being given to the
Council's Scheme of Diphtheria Prevention. Leaflets and posters were prepared
and arrangements set going in conjunction with the Education Department of the
London County Council by which Islington school children could be immunised at the
Borough Council's Clinic, and attendance for this purpose would be counted as a
school attendance. To cope with the increasing numbers of applications which
were being received either directly or through such agencies as the Islington Welfare
Centres, and also to deal with the anticipated increase owing to the greater knowledge
of the public about these facilities, the Council decided to establish a regular weekly
clinic at the Town Hall for the express purpose of immunising children against
Diphtheria. The clinic sessions conducted by the Assistant Medical Officer of
Health were commenced towards the end of the year, in November, 1936, and
justified themselves from the very commencement by an immediate increase in
the number of cases dealt with.
It is not anticipated, of course, that the full effects of such measures will be
apparent for some time.