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It will be seen from the above table that only a relatively small percentage
of infants are immunised against smallpox. This is probably due in part to the
innate objection to inoculation of any sort and it is also due to a certain extent
to the absence of bad cases of smallpox which normally stir up fear among
parents; further, parents may have been influenced by the reports in the papers
of complications from vaccination. It is well, however, to point out that serious
complications are practically non-existent if vaccination is first performed
under six months of age, and similarly complications do not occur in children
or adults who are re-vaccinated, having been vaccinated in infancy. Complications
however are possible, and do occur from time to time, in primary
vaccinations done over the age of six months, and in fact are more common
the older the person is. If therefore there should be an outbreak of virulent
smallpox in the future and a large number of old children and adults are
vaccinated for the first time as the result of this, there may be cases of bad
complications. This can be avoided by having the baby vaccinated before six
months of age.
Disinfection.
In cases of infectious disease, rooms, clothing, etc., are disinfected—
rooms by sealing and fumigating with formalin or a formalin preparation;
clothing, bedding, etc., and infected articles which can be removed for steam
disinfection by treatment in the disinfector at the hospital.
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