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contacts were successfully vaccinated during the year. In addition 22
nurses and domestics were successfully vaccinated, and 43 babies of
tuberculous parents were vaccinated in hospital during the neonatal
period.
B.C.G. Vaccination for School Leavers
Total number of children skin tested 3,971
Number found to be negative 3,342
Number vaccinated with B.C.G 3,326
PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY SERVICE
Very considerable use has been made of the facilities for bacteriological
and other laboratory examinations of public health nature. I take
this opportunity to thank Dr. W.R.G. Thomas, Consultant Bacteriologist at
Mayday Hospital for his ready assistance and most helpful advice which
have been available at all times.
For detailed figures, see Appendix, page 120-
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
No special problems arose. The two cases of enteric fever were both
due to infection acquired abroad. Notifications of measles were half as
numerous as in 1971. This was due not to vaccination, but to the 2 year
cycle of this infection. Meningococcal meningitis which responds readily
to treatment still causes deaths in very young children who succumb too
rapidly for intervention to be possible. It is a risk of infants born into
large families with barely adequate accommodation, of which one or more
members are healthy temporary carriers of the germ. No feasible measures
are known to prevent the two fatal cases recorded in 1972.
Immunisation
Acceptance rates for protection cf children against poliomyelitis and
diphtheria were maintained at over 75%. Measles vaccination was less
popular than in 1971. Efforts to achieve a 90% acceptance which is suggested
as essential to eliminate this illness seemed unjustifiable and unlikely
to succeed even with an unfair diversion of scarce resources. Vaccination
against rubella proceeded without difficulties, in the schools. In addition