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62
Vaccination Against Poliomyelitis—In January 1956, the Minister
of Health announced his plans for making available vaccination against
poliomyelitis to children born in the years 1947 to 1954 inclusive. It was
proposed that vaccine would be made available to Local Health Authorities
in May and June 1956, that vaccination should be suspended during the
months of July to November inclusive, when poliomyelitis is usually more
prevalent, and that it would then be resumed, subject to supplies of vaccine
being available. As it was known that only a limited amount of vaccine
would be available it was proposed that certain selected groups of registered
children, based on month and year of birth to be decided by the Ministry
of Health, should be offered vaccination in the first instance.
In February 1956 information regarding the scheme, incorporating a
consent form, was sent to the parent of each child born in the years 1947
to 1954 of whom we had record. With the co-operation of the Borough
Education Officer the issue of the forms for school children was made
through the schools; those for children under school age were sent to the
parents by post; allied to this press publicity was obtained. In all, some
20,000 forms were issued and by the closing date, i.e. 10th April 1956,
approximately 6,100 consent forms had been returned for registration.
In early May 1956 the first batch of vaccine was received, and we were
informed by the Ministry of Health that vaccination, consisting of two
injections with an interval of not less than three weeks between the first
and second injection, was to be offered to all registered children born in
the month of November in each of the years 1947 to 1954 inclusive and
to registered children born in March in the years 1951 to 1954 inclusive,
the reserve month to replace absentees being August in all the eight years.
A second batch of vaccine was received late in May 1956 but the Ministry
of Health were unable to issue further supplies until late November, when
a very small batch was received to undertake the second injection in the
case of children who had received only one injection in May and June.
In view of the limited supplies of vaccine for issue and the short time
available to organise the scheme the Minister of Health decided that the
vaccine issued in 1956 should be administered only on behalf of the Local
Health Authority. General medical practitioners have, however, been
participating in the scheme since March 1957, from which month regular,
although still limited, supplies of vaccine have been received at approximately
monthly intervals.
During 1957 the offer of vaccination is being extended, when vaccination
of all the children registered early in 1956 has been completed, to
children born in the years 1955 and 1956 and then to children born in the
years 1947 to 1954 whose parents did not register them when the first
offer was made. Further, it has been decided that vaccination need not
be suspended during the summer and autumn as in 1956.