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4. CHILD GUIDANCE SERVICE
In my report for last year I said that steps had been taken to reduce
the case load at the Walthamstow Child Guidance Clinic which should
result in children from this Borough being seen more quickly. The
action taken was to transfer some of the patients from the Walthamstow
Clinic to a new clinic at Harlow; although this achieved the aim
of reducing the case load, illness and changes of staff at the Child
Guidance Clinic prevented the quicker consultations it was hoped
would result. However, each case is dealt with on its merits and
urgent cases do receive priority.
5. B.C.G. VACCINATION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN
461 pupils of 13 years of age were eligible to participate in this
scheme and parents of 282 pupils (61.17 per cent.) gave consent for
their child to be vaccinated. Although the consent rate is lower than
that obtained in 1957 (66.7 per cent) it is higher than the rates obtained
in all other districts in the Forest Division. The reduction is general
and can, I think, be attributed to the greater importance being given
by parents to vaccination against poliomyelitis.
6. TUBERCULOSIS CASE FINDING
All five year old children due for their first routine medical inspection
at school are eligible to participate in this scheme, the purpose
of which is to discover tuberculosis in adults by means of Mantoux
(skin) testing these children. Of the 539 children to whom it was
offered, 316 (58.63 per cent) were tested. 3 children gave a positive
reaction to the test and the Chest Physician was notified and asked
to investigate each case. Children and family contacts were seen at
the Chest Clinic but no abnormalities of any significance were discovered.
Here again for the same reasons as given in the preceding paragraph
the rate of consent was lower than that obtained in 1958 (64 per cent).
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