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ensure the provision of a high standard of care for the community
and have continued to encourage suitable people to participate in
the " Good Neighbour " scheme.
The specially equipped mini-van proved to be a most welcome
and successful addition to the service.

Immunization and vaccination
The majority of the immunizations and vaccinations carried out
in Wandsworth continue to take place at the Council's centres, the
general practitioners' share remaining fairly constant. The health
visitors and school nurses continually impress upon parents the need
for complete protection for their children but there are no grounds
for complacency. The figures of completed cases have declined
slowly since 1965, and this is probably caused mainly by the
continual movement of population referred to elsewhere in this
Report. It is easier to ensure the completion of a course of
immunization when a child remains in the area and attends a
child health centre. Unfortunately it is often the case that those
children who move most frequently are those most likely to miss
immunization.
In his report for 1969 my predecessor mentioned the hope of the
Department of Health and Social Security that all children under
16 years of age should be given measles vaccine unless there were
contra-indications. As will be seen from the figures, a good start
was made with this ambitious programme and the total number of
children vaccinated was over double that of 1969.
During the year the Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunization recommended that vaccination against rubella
(german measles) should be offered to all girls between their
eleventh and fourteenth birthdays, initial priority being given to
girls aged thirteen. Wide publicity was given to the scheme, and
the programme was launched when the vaccine was made available
late in the year. When rubella occurs in women during the first
four months of pregnancy it can affect the unborn child, leading
to such severe defects as deformities of the heart, blindness, deafness
or impaired mental development. It is hoped that ultimately
all girls will be protected against the disease while still at school
and so avoid the possible tragic results later in life.