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10.

* Junior School classes accommodated in
Infant building.
This emphasises the great value of immunisation in
protecting the community as well as the individual. Had
it not been for the fact that the carriers were themselves
immune many of them would have developed the disease and
infected a high proportion of their contacts before they
became recognisably ill.
In a community where there is now little if any
endemic diphtheria practically all unimmunised children
are very susceptible and unless a high percentage of
immunisation is maintained by constant efforts we are
inviting an explosive epidemic such as now occurs from
time to time with measles or chicken pox but with
infinitely graver results since the average proportion
(case fatality ratio 1955/60") of unimmunised or
incompletely immunised children dying from the disease is
more than one in ten of those affected.
3, B.C,G. VACCINATION
The number of children invited to partake in this
scheme was a thousand down from last year. This was due
to the diversion of medical and nursing staff to deal with
the diphtheria outbreak.
The percentage of positive reactors was slightly up
on that of 1959, but the variation is too small to be
significant. In fact, the number of notified cases of
tuberculosis amongst school-children dropped from seven to
two.
The efficiency of B.C.G. is now well established. As
indicated in the report below of the clinical trials
carried out by the Medical Research Council in which
Walthamstow participated, a very substantial protection is
attained throughout adolescence.