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* One, two or three injections.
Of the four vaccinated cases with the paralytic form of the disease, one had received one
injection and three (the children aged 0.4 years) had had two injections; none of the four
had received a third injection. In the non-paralytic cases two had received three injections
and the remaining two vaccinated cases two injections.
It is estimated that by the end of the year 75 per cent, of children aged 0.14 years had
received two injections of poliomyelitis vaccine, 56 per cent, three injections and 25 per
cent, of the schoolchildren had had a fourth injection. Applying the figure of 75 per cent,
to the child population at risk gives the following incidence rates for the paralytic form
of the disease:
Cases per
Population million population
0-14 years Cases at risk
Vaccinated 482,700 3 6.2
Not vaccinated 160,900 18 111.9
Thus the incidence rate in the unvaccinated children was about 18 times that in the
vaccinated; in 1960 when the percentage vaccinated with two injections was 70 per cent,
it was 13 or 18 times*.
Smallpox—There was one case notified during the year in St. Pancras; this was in respect
of a visitor to this country. Fortunately no secondary cases resulted.
Whooping cough—After the increase in 1960 the figures for whooping cough returned
to a low level in 1961, being the lowest yet recorded. For the first time no death from
whooping cough was reported.
* These alternative ratios were according to whether two cases whose vaccinal state was not known were
included or excluded.