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refused for 3.4 per cent. of the children and the remainder were either awaiting
immunisation, awaiting parental consent or were not suitable for immunisation. The
corresponding figures for out-county establishments were 82.6 per cent. immunised,
1.9 per cent. parental consents refused, 15.5 per cent. awaiting immunisation or parental
consent or unsuitable for immunisation.
Whooping cough immunisation
There is no organised scheme in London for promoting immunisation against whooping
cough, although the matter is kept under close watch with a view to the establishment
of arrangements as and when medical developments justify. Parents who ask to have
their children immunised against whooping cough can have the work done at a session
in one of the Council's centres by arrangement, and the Council pays the standard fee
for records of such immunisation received from general practitioners. It is generally
found that parents enquire about immunisation against diphtheria and whooping cough
at the same time and it frequently happens that the two protections are given at about
the same age, either by the use of a combined prophylactic or by concurrent courses of
immunisation; but efforts are being made to secure the immunisation of infants against
whooping cough at an age considerably younger than that officially recommended for
diphtheria, in order that protection against whooping cough can be given at an age
when it can save lives.
The amount of whooping cough immunisation performed increased greatly in 1952.
17,632 children were immunised in the Council's centres and day nurseries compared
with 8,874 in 1951, and 1,129 children were immunised by general practitioners compared
with 432 in 1951. In residential nurseries and nursery schools 49 per cent. of the children
had been immunised at 31st December, 1952; parental consent had been refused for less
than one per cent. of the children, and the remainder were either awaiting immunisation,
awaiting parental consent or were not suitable for immunisation. The use of combined
diphtheria and whooping cough antigen has been recommenced since the latest types
available have proved to be satisfactory; 3,472 children were immunised with the
combined antigen during the year.
Vaccination

One child vaccinated in London in 1952 was removed to the area of another authority
and there developed generalised vaccinia. There was also one case of post-vaccinal
encephalitis.
Primary vaccination of older children is not recommended in the absence of smallpox,
but re-vaccination of school children is undertaken as part of the Council's scheme.
Parental consents had been refused, at 31st December, 1952, for 6.2 per cent. of the
children in the Council's residential establishments inside London, and 3.6 per cent. in
out-county establishments. 49.5 per cent. children in in-county, and 54.3 per cent.