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98
Dr. Barry reported to the Local Government Board, that in the epidemic
at Sheffield—
Among the vaccinated population under 10—5 per 1,000 were attacked
While in the unvaccinated ,, ,, 101 ,, ,,
In the vaccinated ,, ,, 0'09 ,, died
In the unvaccinated „ „ 44 ,, ,,
Of those Twice vaccinated over 10 3 „ were attacked
Once vaccinated ,, 19 ,, ,,
Unvaccinated ,, 94 „ ,,
Of those Twice vaccinated ,, 0'08 ,, died
Once vaccinated „ 10 ,, ,,
Unvaccinated „ 51 „ „
Mr. Shirley Murphy, in his Annual Report for 1900, has estimated,
from the vaccination returns for the ten years 1889-98, the respective
numbers of vaccinated and unvaccinated children under 10 years of age
living in London in the year 1898, and thus finds that not less than 75 per
cent, of these children are vaccinated, and not more than 25 per cent, unvaccinated.
Applying these populations to the cases of Small-pox, properly
belonging to them, that have been treated in the hospitals of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board, and regarding children with no vaccination scars
as unvaccinated, he finds that
21 per million of the vaccinated children under 10 were attacked, and
1,715 ,, unvaccinated ,, ,, ,,
0 ,, vaccinated „ died, and
525 „ unvaccinated „ died
The above figures prove above question—
(1) That infantile vaccination is an almost absolute protection against
death from small-pox under 10, and a very great protection against
attack by small-pox, the protection diminishing as age advances.
(2) That after the age of 10, ie-vaccination is necessary for satisfactory
protection.
(3) That for equal numbers living over 10, six times as many as of
those only once vaccinated are attacked with small-pox as of those
twice vaccinated, and 30 times as many of the unvaccinated.
As a rule, all the doctors, nurses, and servants at Small-pox Hospitals
are re-vaccinated when they join the staff. It appears from an investigation
made by the Epidemiological Society that out of 15,000 such employees
43 took small-pox, and it was found on inquiry that each of these had for
some reason failed to be re-vaccinated. All the remaining 14,957 employees
who were re-vaccinated escaped the disease, although tbey were daily
exposed to infection in a concentrated form.
Not one of the staff of the London Small-pox Hospital Ships has ever
died of Small-pox, and not one has even suffered from the disease for the
past eight years. (Report of Metropolitan Asylums Board Statistical
Committee, 30th January, 1902). Why is this ? Because they are all revaccinated
on joining.
If you get efficiently re-vaccinated, and are not already infected with
small-pox, you are quite sure to escape this serious disease during the
present epidemic and probably altogether.
Vaccination as now performed by public vaccinators and most private
practitioners, is an absolutely safe operation, involving no risk of inocculating
any other disease.
By Order,
SIDNEY DAVIES, M.D.,
Medical Officer of Health