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152
Appendix A.
The following report was submitted to the Public Health and Housing
Committee by the Medical Officer of Health on "Schick Test and
Immunisation from Diphtheria":—
Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In placing before you a letter from the Metropolitan Boroughs
Standing Joint Committee in which this Council is asked to give
their views on the prevention of Diphtheria by means of the Schick
test and active immunisation, your Medical Officer of Health submits
the following report on the subject. In doing so he would
remind the Committee of the Special Report by Dr. F. W.
Alexander on this subject, submitted to the Committee in October,
1926.
DIPHTHERIA IMMUNISATION.
It is now well-known that the timely use of antitoxin has gone
far in reducing the mortality of Diphtheria, but has not led to a
diminution in the number of cases.
Small doses of diphtheria antitoxin have also been used successfully,
to prevent contacts from developing the disease. By this
means the security from attack only lasts for about three weeks.
In recent years research work has been carried out for the purpose
of discovering a method of determining whether a given person
is susceptible (liable to contract the disease) or immune (freedom
from disease), and also for procuring immunisation of the populace
against diphtheria infection. By means of the Schick test we are
able to determine whether or not a given person's blood contains
sufficient antitoxin to protect him from an attack of diphtheria.
As a result of testing a large number of persons of different
ages it would appear from published figures that 80 per cent, of
infants at birth have a natural immunity, and that this fades during
the first month or two after birth, the immunity gradually decreasing
until at three years of age only 28 per cent, of the children are
immune.