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38
During 1956, 3,100 Kingston children were immunised for
the first time or received reinforcing "booster" injections.
A figure known as the immunity index, which is shown as a
percentage, is computed each year. This relates to the proportion
of the child population which is known to have received
inoculation during the previous 5 years. The immunity index
for the 1/4 age group is 75% and the total index for all
children under the age of 15 is 48%.
The intensive campaign to immunise as many children as
possible is being maintained with a special objective to
secure the immunisation of 75% of babies before their first
birthday. It is calculated that during 1956 the proportion
of babies immunised before they reached the age of 1 year was
69%.
Poliomyelitis.
Limited vaccination against poliomyelitis was inaugurated
during the year under review and was completed by the end of
June. A total of 98 Kingston children between the age of 2
and 9 years received 2 injections and a further 14 children
received 1 injection.
Preparations were put in hand to co-operate with the
Medical Research Councils, the Surrey County Council, and the
Physician Superintendent of Kingston Hospital in the provision
of information etc., arising from epidemiological enquiries
made by the Public Health Department into any cases of poliomyelitis
occurring during the year. The Medical Research
Council particularly required information regarding cases
appearing in children who had been vaccinated or registered
for vaccinations, and to cases notified in households containing
a person who had been vaccinated or registered.
A total of 3 cases occurred during 1956, only one of
which came into the categories above.
Two sisters aged 4 and 6 years respectively arrived in
Kingston in August from their home town in Sussex. The
following day one girl fell ill and was put to bed at home
and kept under observation. A week later her sister became
unwell and both children were admitted to Tolworth Isolation
Hospital and were notified as cases of non-paralytic poliomyelitis.
Upon enquiries being made in the patients' home
town it was learnt that a boy had died there earlier in the
month from polioencephalitis and that he was a playmate of
the children ill in Kingston. The two illnesses were
comparatively mild and both girls made uneventful recoveries.
Type I virus was isolated from a specimen from one girl but
a negative result was obtained from the other.
The third case of poliomyelitis notified during 1956
referred to an illness occurring in a boy aged 7 years and
notified by the family doctor in November. There was at
first some doubt about the diagnosis but eventually a virus
Type I was isolated. This boy had been registered for
vaccination against poliomyelitis but not vaccinated. The
patient suffered a weakness of muscles and upon discharge
from hospital was referred to the Orthopaedic Department at
Kingston Hospital as an out-patient.
Acute Infective Encephalitis.
No cases occurred during 1956.