London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Walthamstow 1937

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]

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37
Diphtheria Immunisation at Schools.—The first term of
1937 was occupied in completing the posterior Schick testing at
eight Infants' departments which remained out of the 21 departments
with children under 8 years of age and at which immunisation
had been commenced with single dose Alum Precipitated
Toxoid at the end of 1935.
Summarising the whole of the work done since that time, a
total of 1,502 posterior Schick tests were done in children given
one dose of 0.5 c.c. A.P.T., and of these, 1,141 (or 76.0 per cent.)
were negative at an average period of 23.8 weeks following the
single dose. The maximum and minimum percentages were respectively
98 and 28, at different schools.

The Schick test results at the various age levels are given below:-

Age Group.Total Schick tested.Total. Positive.% Positive.% Negative.
1-219-0.0100.0
2-33625.594.5
3-465812.387.7
4-51512617.282.8
5-63788923.576.5
6-746313729.670.4
7-83899825.274.8
8-11100.00.0
Totals1,50236124.076.0

The results suggest that the unreliability of the single dose
method increases with age.
The parents of those children incompletely protected were
advised that a further dose was necessary, and in those responding
no failure to obtain a negative Schick test was experienced. Two
dose method: 326 children, mostly under 8 years of age, were given
two doses of A.P.T., i.e., 0.1 c.c.—14 days—0.5 c.c. All were
Schick negative approximately one month after the second dose
except for 9. Of these, 6 were negative approximately two months
later and the other 3 were not re-tested, i.e., by the two dose
A.P.T. method only 3 were still possibly Schick positive at two
months, i.e., a Schick negative rate of 99.4 per cent.
Relapsed Immunity.—
(1) One school which gave only 2 per cent. Schick positive in
November, 1935, after one dose A.P.T. was re-Schicked on April
14th, 1937. Of 93 children previously Schick negative, 34.4 per
cent, had relapsed.