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47
(c) Diphtheria.—260 cases were notified as compared with
187 in 1927; 148 in 1926; 56 in 1925; 82 in 1924; 131 in 1923.
Of the 260 cases, 41 occurred in the Girls' Village Homes,
Barkingside.
In December, 1927, I reported to the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee as follows:—
"I wish to call your attention to the comparatively large number
of cases of diphtheria which occur in Becontree each year, compared with
the rest of the Ilford district, in children under 5 years of age.
"The percentage, compared with that in the district generally, is as
follows:—
1923 44 percent.
1924 36
1925 18
1926 35½
1927 37 „
(To date.)
"I consider that the disease is being spread by the importation of
'carriers' of diphtheria germs from other districts, with the result that
the young susceptible children, of which there are large numbers in the
Becontree area, are being attacked.
"In some districts in London, an Immunisation Clinic has been
established where such children can be immunised by means of the Schick
method, which consists in giving three or four injections under the skin of
the arm of the children at weekly intervals. One course of such inoculations
is usually sufficient to render the children insusceptible to Diphtheria
during the whole of their school life, although occasionally a second course
of injections is required. The resistance which is produced takes some
time to develop and will not be of any service in preventing the number
of cases at the present time, but will prevent such children as are
inoculated being attacked in another year.
"The method has been carried out satisfactorily in Edinburgh, and
for nearly three years at the Ilford Isolation Hospital the whole of the
domestic and nursing staff has been treated in this way, with the result
that none who have been inoculated have been attacked by Diphtheria.
"I beg to suggest that the Committee should consider the desirability
of establishing such a Clinic, in the first place at Becontree, and then
possibly elsewhere in the town, in order that parents who wish to have
their children inoculated against Diphtheria may be able to do so. It
would be desirable to communicate with the Ministry of Health to see
whether they would agree to the cost of such work ranking for grant under
the Maternity and Child Welfare Regulations."
As a result, the Committee recommended (a) that preliminary
application be made to the Ministry of Health for sanction to
establish such a Clinic at Becontree, and for the cost thereof to