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87 [1938
The Vaccination Officers in the course of their duties forwarded the names of
1,518 children to the Public Vaccinators on Form "H," and 455 children were
vaccinated at the "request" of parents or guardians before Form "H" was
issued.
Diphtheria was responsible for 595 cases of illness, which were 167 below
the average (764) of the preceding ten years. The attack rate was equal to 2.03
per 1,000 of the civil population annually, and was 0.41 below the mean rate (2.44)
of the decennial period. In London the attack rate was 1.90 per 1,000.
DIPHTHERIA ANTI-TOXIN.
The Minister of Health continued to sanction the provision—by the Sanitary
Authority, now under Section 227 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936—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 section of the Public Health Act 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 55,000 units of Diphtheria Anti-toxin serum were issued to
Medical Practitioners in the Borough. Of this quantity 34,000 units were sold,
the total amount received by the Council being £1 14s. 3d. The remaining 21,000
units were given free owing to the patients' limited means.
DIPHTHERIA PREVENTION.
Report of Assistant Medical Officer of Health.
Arrangements for referring children for protection against Diphtheria from the
London County Council schools and from the children's departments of the voluntary
hospitals were outlined in the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for
1937. The leaflet and birthday card also continued to be sent out on the occasion
of the child's first birthday, and this has resulted in quite a favourable response.
During the year it was found necessary to continue two clinics per week, one
at the Town Hall with the Assistant Medical Officer of Health in charge, and the
other at the Miriam Price Coleman Clinic Centre, taken during the first half of 1938
by Dr. D. S. Murray, and then for the remainder of the year by the Assistant Medical
Officer, Dr. Hirst, following her appointment.
Alum Precipitated Toxoid (A.P.T.) is the immunising material used in nearly
all cases; 0.1 c.c. and 0.5 c.c. are injected with an interval of two weeks between
the injections. In a few of the older children it is considered advisable to use
Toxoid-Anti-Toxin Floccules (T.A.F.), giving three injections at intervals of a
fortnight. There were a few local reactions after A.P.T. but none of them were
severe. Ante-Schick-testing is not done as a routine in children under seven years
of age, but it is the practice to do this with children over seven. All cases
immunised are Schick-tested about three months after immunisation.
It is as yet too early to consider the reversion rate to the Schick-positive state
among those already immunised, but a start will be made on this during 1939.
It will be noted that although the attendances in 1938 were more than double
those in 1937 the proportion of children in the Borough who are immunised is still
far below that necessary to have any appreciable effect upon the Diphtheria rate.