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Health Centres at Hanwell and Greenford, while to meet demands
when these buildings are closed a stock is kept at the Fire Station,
To encourage the administration of anti-toxin it is supplied free
of charge for patients who are certified by their doctor as being
in necessitous circumstances. During the year under review
374,000 units were supplied for 61 cases.
To meet a growing demand for the immunization of children
against diphtheria a supply of the appropriate prophylactic is
now kept at the Public Health Department and is supplied to
medical practitioners at cost price. A leaflet has been issued
by the department regarding the desirability and the method of
immunization and although the scheme of preventive treatment
did not commence before the end of the year this leaflet is reproduced
in this report as an indication of the action taken in regard to this
important development in public health work.
Diphtheria.
Every child over 12 months old is liable to catch diphtheria, which
is the most dangerous of the infectious diseases of childhood. This
disease causes serious loss of life among children under ten years of
age and most of those who die are under five years.
Diphtheria is spread from one child to another and even the most
carefully guarded can catch it. Every time a child is ill or out of sorts
the possibility that diphtheria is the cause must be considered. Even
with constant care the disease may be discovered only when it is too
late, since the child may not complain of sore throat. Fortunately this
danger to the child and anxiety of the parent can be avoided.
Prevention of the Disease.
By means of three simple and painless injections a child can be
protected from diphtheria for many years and often for life. The
injections do not upset the child in any way, there is no sore at the
point of injection and no scar is left. It takes three months after the
last injection for full protection, or immunity as it is called, to develop,
and at the end of this period a simple test is performed to make sure
that the treatment has been successful.
How to get children immunized.
It is the duty of every parent to consider this matter seriously
and to secure protection for their children at the earliest possible moment.
If there is delay until a case of diphtheria occurs in the neighbourhood
it may be too late. The family doctor will be pleased to give further
information on the subject, or it can be got at the nearest Health Centre.
Treatment can be obtained from the family doctor or, where the
parents are unable to pay his fee, it is available free of charge at the
Health Centres. In the latter case, all that has to be done is to apply
to the School Nurse or Health Visitor at a Health Centre when an
appointment will be made for the injections to be carried out there.