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16
The disease is spread usually by intimate contact rather than
more casual contact and is associated with institutions and
crowded environments Within a family the chances are higher of
the non-immunes getting whooping cough It is mainly contracted
in infancy and childhood, and the incidence is greater among females
The campaign for immunization against whooping cough, using
pertussis diphtheria vaccine, which was started in the autumn of
1947 has been intensively pursued. At the Child Welfare Clinics
1,530 children were given primary immunization by means of the
combined vaccine and 31 by means of Whooping Cough vaccine
alone while the number of children immunised by General
Practitioners was 757. 1,686 reinforcing doses were given at the
clinics and 231 by general practitioners Many people who are
complacent about Diphtheria, still have a wholesome fear of
whooping cough and wish to have their children immunised against
it. They have no objection to the use of the combined vaccine and
in this way the percentage of children immunised against Diphtheria
is kept at a satisfactory level.