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Diphtheria Carriers.—There is a clinic for diphtheria carriers held at St. Mary's Hospital, to
which 9 cases were referred by the Public Health Department during the past year.
Anti-Diphtheritic Serum.—This is stocked at the Town Hall and supplied to medical practitioners
on request for the use of patients resident in the Borough who are too poor to obtain such serum
privately. During the year 51 phials of 4,000 units and 37 phials of 500 units were distributed.
Diphtheria Immunisation.—In June, 1933, a clinic for the immunisation of children against
diphtheria was inaugurated at the Welfare Centre, 232, Harrow Road, Dr. R. Cove-Smith being
the first Medical Officer. Dr. C. T. Potter undertook the duties as from the 6th November, 1935.
At first one session weekly was held, but the increasing numbers of children presenting themselves
for treatment, following the distribution of leaflets at the various schools in the Borough,
necessitated the provision of additional facilities, and a second session weekly was accordingly
started in December of that year. Early in 1934 a third session was opened, this being continued until
nearly the end of the year. Two sessions weekly were continued until the week ended 16th February,
1935, when an additional session was foutad to be necessary. In the week ended 3rd August, two
sessions were reverted to, and in the week ended 9 th November one session only was found to be
sufficient.
Towards the end of 1934 the Council, after consultation with local representatives of the medical
profession, decided to introduce a scheme for enlisting the services of private medical practitioners in
the work of diphtheria immunisation. The scheme provides for the payment to the practitioner of a
fee of 10s. for immunising treatment given to any child between the ages of one year and twelve years,
whose parent or guardian cannot reasonably be expected to afford a private fee for such treatment.
All Schick testing for the purpose of ascertaining whether the child is susceptible to diphtheria is
to be done by the Medical Officer of the Council's diphtheria immunisation clinic at the Welfare
Centre, No. 232. Harrow Road. In the case of a child sent to the clinic for a pre-immunisation test,
the result of which is negative, a fee of 2s. 6d. only is payable to the practitioner. The practitioner
is required to bear the cost of an immunising agent specified by the Medical Officer of Health, and
he is also responsible for any subsequent medical attention that may be necessary.
The following report has been received from Dr. Potter on the work carried out at the Clinic
during the year :—
During the year 1936, 261 cases have been inoculated against diphtheria under the
Borough scheme. Of these, 202 had been fully immunised at the end of the year, and the remaining
59 will be dealt with during 1937. As in previous years the majority of these were
in the age period in which they are most liable to infection.
Following immunisation 219 cases were Schick-tested; of these 194 were found to be
successfully immunised, 6 required further injections, and in 19 the result was unknown, the
children having failed to return to the clinic.
Only one of those tested during the year and found to be Schick-negative contracted diphtheria.
He had been immunised in the previous year. Up to the present time we have not
heard of a single case of those fully immunised during 1936 having contracted the disease.
In view of these most encouraging results, it is to be regretted that more have not availed
themselves of the facilities for protection against Diphtheria as provided by the Council.
In October, 1936, a Diphtheria Immunisation Clinic was opened at St. Mary's Hospital. Dr.
A. B. Porteous, the Medical Officer in charge of the Clinic reports that, up to the end of the year,
eight children were treated, their ages varying from 10 to 4 years. In all cases the primary Schick
test was positive, and the second, carried out two months later, completely negative.
Twenty children received immunisation treatment at the Orphanage of Mercy, Randolph Gardens,
during the year.