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Vaccination.

Bearing in mind the increasingly rapid transport facilities throughout
the world, which increase the chances of outbreaks of smallpox, and the
comparatively slight effect of vaccination on younger children compared
with the risks of primary vaccination in older children or adults, it is as
desirable for babies to be vaccinated as immunised, and a bigger response
than hitherto is most desirable.
Whooping Cough Immunisation.
While the trials which have been carried out on a large scale during
recent years give grounds for hope that the supply of a reliable agent
will justify the introduction before very long of an official scheme for the
Immunisation of children against whooping cough, it is considered locally
ihat the time for this has not yet arrived. They can, however, if parents
so wish, obtain combined diphtheria and whooping cough immunisation
from general practitioners, and many are in fact doing so under the provisions
of the Health Service Act.
DIABETES.
The Council continued to provide a small number of persons with
insulin during the first half of the year, but this scheme ceased in July
as all the persons needing this treatment were thereafter able to obtain it
as part of the normal medical service.
AMBULANCES.
The same arrangements as existed in 1947 were continued until July,
1948, but with the implementation of the National Health Service Act the
ounty Council became responsible for the ambulance service. The effect
of a free service for all persons genuinely needing it was to about double
the demands on the general service. Meanwhile the greater use of the
Hospital Bed Service in arranging the admission of infectious disease
cases resulted in a greater variety of infectious disease ambulances being
mployed, and the distribution of the cases over more hospitals, which
implicated preventive and administrative work considerably.
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