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whole. The provisional total of cases in England and Wales in
1960 was 53. Of these only eight had been immunised in infancy
but they had had no reinforcing dose.
It is consequently more important than ever that parents
should have their children immunised against diphtheria and
arrange for reinforcing injections when they are five and ten years
old.
The number of children immunised against this disease was
1,056 and 1,191 were given reinforcing injections.
TYPHOID
One case of typhoid occurred. The patient was a French boy,
18 years old and the onset of the illness was eight days after
arrival in England from France. As the incubation period of
typhoid is usually 2-3 weeks the disease was presumably contracted
in France. The patient was admitted to hospital and made
an uneventful recovery.
SMALLPOX
The substantial degree of protection from smallpox which the
population had during the time of compulsory vaccination is being
slowly reduced due to the reduction throughout the country in the
numbers of children vaccinated at the appropriate time. The percentage
of infants under one year vaccinated in this District during
the year was 83% and efforts are being made to increase this
figure which is well above the most recently published figure of
38.4% for the country as a whole.
As with diphtheria immunisation, all medical practitioners
providing general medical services in the area are given an opportunity
to provide services for carrying out vaccination.
The number of primary vaccinations carried out was 838 and
the number of re-vaccinations was 118.
TETANUS
Tetanus is not notifiable and its incidence is not known. Cases
do occur, however, and there have been several fatal cases in Surrey
during recent years including one in Purley in 1959. It is hoped
that parents will have their children immunised against this disease
as well as the other diseases of childhood.
The tetanus prophylactic injection is usually a combined one
with whooping cough and diphtheria prophylactics so that no extra
injections are necessary.
The number of children immunised against this disease was
1,058 and 204 were given reinforcing injections.
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