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Immunisation against diphtheria has been offered as in previous
years to all children in the infant departments of the schools, and
to children under eight years of age in the junior departments, as
well as to children under school age. This work has been in progress
now for six years and has become part of the ordinary routine
activity of the Health Department. It is carried out mostly in the
schools, but immunisation sessions are also held at the School
Clinic. The response to the offer of immunisation varies from school
to school, but I am glad to say that progress is being made, and
the number of children immunised in 1935 was higher than in any
previous year.
In all 841 children received full courses of three protective
inoculations, and a further 101 were undergoing a course of injections
at the end of the year. 637 children were Schick-tested during the
year on the completion of a full course of injections. Of these
192 were children who had been immunised during 1934. 396
children who had received full courses of injections were awaiting
Schick Test at the end of the year.
So far as the efficiency of the immunisation is concerned, only
one case of definite diphtheria was reported during the year, in a
child who had been immunised. This child received two immunising
injections in October, 1934, and one in December, 1934. In April,
1935, she was Schick-tested and was negative. In November, 1935,
she had quite a definite attack of diphtheria and was admitted to
hospital, where she made a good recovery. Three other children
who had been immunised were found to have positive swabs, after
being in contact with cases of diphtheria, but in all of these cases
the swabs were negative after a few days, and none of them showed
any other evidence of suffering from diphtheria.
9.—OPEN-AIR EDUCATION.
There are no open-air schools in Wood Green, nor are there
any open-air classes in any of the elementary schools. Practically
the only form of open-air education enjoyed by the children is the
open-air class conducted in the school playground during the
summer months, and considerable use seems to be made of this
method of teaching.
In a few of the schools, however, other forms of open-air
education have been enjoyed by a limited number of the children.
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