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Following the completion of the measles vaccine trials carried out by the
Medical Research Council, the Ministry of Health Circulars 9/68 and C.M.O. 5/68
advised that Local Health Authorities should offer vaccination against measles to
all susceptible children up to and including the age of fifteen years by means of a
single injection of live attenuated measles vaccine and that arrangements be brought
into operation by the beginning of May, 1968.
Ministry of Health Circular C.M.O. 20/67 gave notice that the Joint Committee
on Vaccination and Immunisation had reviewed the schedules of immunisation in
childhood, and were considering their replacement by a single schedule. Subsequently,
Ministry of Health Circular 9/68 was issued, setting out a revised schedule, and
following consultation with representatives of the general practitioners arrangements
were made to start the new schedule early in 1969.
Vaccination and immunisation is provided jointly by the general medical
practitioner and local health authority services. The advice given in Ministry of
Health Circular 3/67 that local authorities should notify general medical practitioners
of patients on their list who had been immunised or vaccinated in local authority
clinics, was implemented.
In the case of persons under sixteen years of age 13,934 primary courses were
given, of which 4,971 were undertaken by general medical practitioners and 8,963
by the Council's medical officers. Of the total number of 13,010 reinforcing doses,
4,464 were given by general medical practitioners and 8,546 by the Council's medical
officers. With regard to smallpox, general medical practitioners undertook 1,100
primary vaccinations and 292 re-vaccinations of persons under the age of sixteen
years, compared with 1,906 primary vaccinations and two re-vaccinations by the
Council's medical officers.
Publicity
Publicity for immunisation procedures continued in all clinics and in general
practitioners' surgeries during the year in the form of posters and leaflets which
were varied from time to time.
Special publicity for measles vaccination was undertaken, of course, to inaugurate
the scheme, but the initial response to the campaign was disappointing.
Immunisation in Clinics
At appropriate ages, a card is sent to each child, inviting him to be immunised
either by his family doctor or by attendance at a clinic, and a leaflet giving information
about immunisation accompanies it. This is combined with the periodic or
birthday card in which children are invited to attend the clinic for general health
purposes. It is considered that the provision of immunisation facilities at each
child health session, rather than at specially organised sessions, results in a more
successful acceptance rate, an opinion substantiated by the gratifyingly satisfactory
acceptance rates the borough has enjoyed since its inception.
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