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47
The suggestions as to publicity made by the Ministry of
Health were carried out.
Diphtheria immunisation is referred to more fully in Section G
of the Report in regard to Part III Health Services.
The report included below was made to the Committee in
April, 1952:—
"The following is extracted from the March issue of the
Monthly Bulletin of the Ministry of Health:—
"The situation is now being reached—a situation scarcely
dreamed of in 1940 when the immunisation campaign started
—where the eradication of diphtheria as a disease in this
country can be foreseen as a very real possibility within the
next few years, providing there is no slackening in the
immunisation efforts that have been so dramatically successful
in the past 10 years. Complacency resulting from what has
already been achieved, or loss of interest or of confidence
in immunisation, may mean that diphtheria will go on
occurring in this country indefinitely, with the ever-present
risk of a return to high mortality; but a vigorously continued
immunisation programme, combined with existing methods
of epidemic control, may free us entirely from the disease
except for the occasionally imported case.'
"In Walthamstow during the last five years (1947/51)
114 patients were admitted to hospital for observation for
possible diphtheria. This is the only reasonable course to be
taken in a formidable disease like diphtheria. Of these 114
patients, only two were confirmed as diphtheria and there were
no deaths.
"By contrast, during the previous five years, i.e., 1942/46,
there were 306 admissions, 80 being confirmed as diphtheria,
with 10 fatal cases. Going back even further, there were 238
admissions to hospital and 15 deaths during the five years
1937/41, and 1,155 admissions and 26 deaths during the five
years 1932/36.
"It is now estimated that if a non-immunised child catches
diphtheria, the chances of dying from the disease are seven
times greater than those of an immunised child.
"The need still remains to concentrate on the immunisation
of as many babies as possible on reaching the age of nine
months. At present, about 40% of the babies born annually
are immunised before reaching the age of one year, but the
target still remains at 75%."