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Antitoxin.— A supply of antitoxin is kept at the Town Hall and at Eltham
Library and is available for medical practitioners on application, at cost price, or
free, where there is inability to pay. The amount supplied during the year was
64,000 units. The total cost to the Council was £2 18s. 8d., all of which was
recovered.
Immunisation.— In 1934, the Council, with the co-operation of the local medical
profession, started a scheme for the immunisation of children against diphtheria.
The scheme is one in which immunisation is carried out by general practitioners
and it was set out in full in my Annual Report for 1934. Slight modifications
which are referred to in my Annual Report for 1935 were made during that year.
During 1937, 552 children were immunised and a further 28 were found not to
require immunisation. Since the scheme started in November 1934, 2,363 children
in all have been immunised.
In order to ascertain whether a child is susceptible to diphtheria or not, use
is made of the Schick Test. This may be done before immunisation, but it must be
carried out after immunisation in order to ascertain whether the desired result
has been obtained. Schick testing clinics have been held as often as was necessary.
The figures for the year follow. Before a course of immunisation 82 children were
found to be Schick positive and 28 Schick negative; after immunisation, including
children immunised in 1936, 428 were found to be negative and 39 positive ; 4 children
failed to attend. The remaining children were waiting until the requisite time had
passed to enable immunity to be developed.
The total amount of fees paid to general practitioners for immunisation during
the year was £275 7s. 6d. The other costs amounted to £58 0s. 0d.
Scarlet Fever.
Notification.— During the year 428 cases were notified compared with 609 in
1936 and 634 in 1935. There were 20 military cases. The number of notifications
received each quarter was as follows:—
First quarter 90 Second quarter 90
Third quarter 108 Fourth quarter 140
Multiple Cases.—The following Table, No. 45, shows the house distribution
by wards. The term " house " is synonymous with the term " family except
in three instances where two families were involved.