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(c) All children admitted to Day Nurseries are offered
protection.
(d) Health Visitors, calling at the homes of children who
do not attend the Welfare Centres, advise the parents.
(e) New school entrants are given consent forms by the
Head Mistress.
(f) Prior to each school medical inspection, a questionnaire
is sent to each parent. One of the questions asks ' Has your child
been immunised against Diphtheria?' If the answer is in the
negative, a form of consent with advice re time and place for
inoculation, is sent.
All immunised cases are followed up, and a single injection is
offered at the end of every three years in order to refresh the child's
waning immunity. After the age of 11 years, this is preceded by
a Schick test.
For children under five, if they have not had the disease,
immunisation against Whooping Cough is combined with the
Diphtheria injection. Good results appear to be obtained, injections
do not always prevent the infection, but the severity of the illness
is modified.
During the year, 19 cases of Diphtheria were notified amongst
non-school age population, and of these, in 9 cases only was the
diagnosis substantiated. Nine of these cases were adults and the
rest children under school age. Only one of the children under
school age who contracted Diphtheria appears to have been
immunised, and in her case she had a positive nasal swab, but no
clinical signs of the disease. One child died of Diphtheria, she had
not been immunised.
Total number of Under Fives inoculated 512
,, ,, ,, Over Fives inoculated 202
Re-inoculations after 3 years 45
Schick tests after 3 years: Negative 29
Positive 2
Primary Schick tests Negative 15
Positive 19