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Progress in the Anti-Tuberculosis Vaccine Research Trial.
Report by Dr. T. M. Pollock—Physician in charge of B.C.G. Trials.
During the year continued progress was made in the Medical
Research Council's investigation into the anti-tuberculosis vaccine,
B.C.G. Leyton is one of 22 North London Boroughs taking part in
the research, which is also being undertaken in Manchester and
Birmingham. Its object is to determine whether a safe antituberculosis
vaccine, at present used in Britain only for those in
contact with the disease, is of sufficient value to the general population
for its use to be advised on a wide scale.
The 50,000 young people in the trial are all volunteers from
Secondary Modern school "leavers". Of these, 628 come from
Leyton and entered the trial between November 1950 and February
1952. Each volunteer had a chest X-ray and skin-test at school,
and a proportion were given the vaccine. To determine its efficacy,
it is essential to keep in touch during the next three years with the
young people taking part, and this is being done mainly by Health
Visitor visits and annual X-rays. Each volunteer is visited once a
year by a Health Visitor from the Health Department, and the
necessary information obtained. At the visit the volunteer is
reminded of the trial and the impending X-ray appointment.
These visits have been most successful, and much credit is due to the
Health Visitors whose energy and enthusiasm in the research are
playing a great part in making the scheme a success.
The annual chest X-rays are carried out by the research
team's mobile radiography unit, and in the cm-rent year took place
at Dawlish Road Clinic during June 1952 and January 1953.
These annual X-rays are of great value to the volunteers as thereby
early chest disease can be detected at a stage when treatment is
most likely to be effective, and before any symptoms are observed.
It is thus very encouraging that 83 per cent. of the young people
have kept their X-ray appointments, and we hope to have as good
a response during the remaining period of the trial.
This trial has still two years to run before its conclusion. The
co-operation and team work of those taking part are proving to be
of the high standard necessary to ensure its success.