London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Enfield 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
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The programme of vaccination and immunisation which we have adopted is as follows, and each parent is given a card on which is recorded the immunisation received by each child:
| Age | Visit | Vaccine | Dose | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months | 1 | Triple (Diphtheria. Whooping Cough & Tetanus) | 0.5 ml (Half volume antigen) | 4 weeks |
| 2 | Triple ,, | 0.5 ml ,, | 4 weeks | |
| 3 | Triple „ | 0.5 ml „ | ||
| 7 months | 4 | Oral Poliomyelitis | 3 drops | 4 weeks |
| 5 | Oral Poliomyelitis | 3 drops | 4 weeks | |
| 6 | Oral Poliomyelitis | 3 drops | ||
| 12 months | 7 | Smallpox | ||
| 18 months | 8 | Triple (Diphtheria. Whooping Cough & Tetanus) | 0.5 ml (Half volume antigen) | |
| 4 years or at school entry | 9 | Diphtheria & Tetanus (DT/VAC/FT) Oral Poliomyelitis | 0.5 ml (Half volume antigen) 3 drops | May be given at the same time |
| 8 years | 10 | Diphtheria & Tetanus | 0.5 ml (Half volume antigen) | |
| Over 12 years | 11 | B.C.G. at discretion |
Mindful of the importance of maintaining a high rate of immunity to the
specified infectious diseases, every effort has been made to encourage the community
to make full use of the immunisation programme available to them through their
family doctors and our clinics.
At appropriate ages, as per the schedule, a card is sent to each child, inviting
him to be immunised either by his family doctor or by attendance at our clinics.
This invitation is combined with the periodic or birthday card in which we invite
children to attend the clinic for general health purposes. It is considered that the
provision of immunisation facilities at each child welfare session, rather than at
specially organised sessions, has resulted in a more successful acceptance rate.
Although the figures for vaccination and immunisation show that a large number
of parents have accepted these protective measures for their children, it is only by
constant education and persuasion that we can try to ensure that a maximum
protective rate is achieved.
Vaccination against Smallpox
The recorded number of persons under 16 years of age who received primary
vaccination was 2,616, and 106 persons were re-vaccinated. Of the children born
in 1963 (3,959) 2,160 had received primary vaccination by the end of 1965, this
representing an acceptance rate of 54.5%.
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