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DIPHTHERIA.
The situation with regard to this serious disease has completely
changed since the national campaign to encourage immunisation
against it began in 1941. No cases have occurred in this District
for the last eleven years and it appears that the germ is rarely
present in the throat of any resident. As natural immunity cannot,
therefore, develop as a result of minute doses being picked up
casually, it is all the more important that we should maintain an
artificially produced immunity, especially among children.
During 1957, the Authority arranged for 374 children to
receive primary immunisation against diphtheria at Welfare
Centres, Clinics and Day Nurseries and similarly treated 18 at
their schools. They also arranged for 722 to get 'booster' doses
(including 613 in the schools). In addition, private doctors gave
540 primary treatment and 538 'boosters'. The total receiving
primary treatment was thus 195 more than in 1956 while 94 more
had a 'booster' dose.
WHOOPING COUGH.
This form of immunisation was only officially adopted in 1952
and its effectiveness in preventing the occurrence of the disease is
not yet of as high a standard as is that against diphtheria. There
is, however, good clinical evidence that the severity of the attacks
is reduced very considerably. While the vaccine can be used
separately, it is usually combined with that against diphtheria.
During 1957, at least 902 children received primary courses
(368 at Infant Welfare Centres and 534 from private doctors) while
379 were given 'boosters', including 82 in the Centres. There was
thus an increase of 218 primary treatments and 53 in those receiving
'boosters'.
TETANUS.
Of even more recent adoption officially, is a vaccine for
active immunisation against tetanus, and this is normally given in
combination with vaccines against diphtheria and whooping cough.
Tetanus immunisation was used effectively in the Services throughout
the last war and it has the advantages of not only producing
some immunity against undetected infections resulting from minor
injuries, but the necessity for using tetanus antitoxin following
gross injuries can be avoided. This is important as the horse
serum in the antitoxin contains antibodies which are apt to cause
serious reactions in a proportion of the recipients.
While tetanus is not such a common infection in Surrey as in
some Counties, its results are often very grave and, for the reasons
mentioned above, it would now appear wise to encourage the
wider inclusion of this vaccine in the combined vaccine which it is
the common practice to use for the primary immunisation of
babies.
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