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Displays were lent to various schools and organisations.
The assistance and co-operation of the Fire Prevention
Officers has been particularly helpful in the Home Safety
Campaign. Tables are given in the Appendix, page 118.
IMMUNISATION
Poliomyelitis vaccination was available to all persons under
25 years of age and after a slow beginning, requests for injections
became very heavy. Despite temporary difficulties in
obtaining extra supplies of vaccine, there were no major setbacks
and results were most satisfactory for the group of children
under 15 years of age and reasonably good for adolescents
and adults.
With the reports of diphtheria cases in various parts of the
country, this protection was pressed during the Autumn months
and arrangements made for an extensive campaign of "booster"
doses in the schools for early 1960.
Discussions took place with the Local Medical Committee regarding
immunisation schedules, especially the question of vaccination
against whooping cough in early infancy. Croydon's
statistics showed only one death from whooping cough during the
last seven years and that four years ago. Over the last decade,
some 50% of infants each year were given pertussis vaccine, but
analysis of records show that in 1957 and 1958, 5% only were
vaccinated against whooping cough before six months of age.
There was no reason to suppose that a higher percentage of
very young infants were included in earlier years. It was,
therefore, agreed not to vary the present programme followed by
the majority of practitioners, namely, vaccination against smallpox
at about three months of age, polio vaccination at six
months of age and "triple vaccine" at about eight months with
"booster" doses at appropriate invervals thereafter. The use of
combined vaccines is avoided during the six months April to
September. Tables are given in the Appendix, page 124.