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18
Diphtheria
The campaign to encourage immunisation against diphtheria began in 1941 and
the results have been very encouraging. The fall in the incidence of diphtheria since
then has been far in excess of any downward fluctuation observed in the previous
50 years. In 1950 there were only 81 cases or 0.024 per 1,000 living, at all ages,
compared with a rate of 0.065 in 1949. 75 per cent. of the cases under age 15 were
among those who had never been immunised and having regard to the relative size
of the unimmunised population this means that the attack rate among them was
seven times as great as among those who had at some time been immunised. The
effects of the immunisation campaign are illustrated by the diagram, on which the
continuous lines indicate the trend of the notification rates in the three age groups
0-4, 5-14, 15+, and the broken line indicates the percentage not artificially immunised.
During 1950 the rates have continued their rapid decline although the
degree of artificial immunisation at school ages having reached 77 per cent, has
tended to become stabilised.
DIPHTHERIA — AGE INCIDENCE
NOTIFICATIONS PER 1.000 LIVING IN AGE GROUPS
There were four deaths from diphtheria in London in 1950. Detailed reports show
that none had been previously immunised.
It cannot be too strongly emphasised that the maintenance of this good progress
depends upon the co-operation of the public in sustaining and even increasing still