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27
Section F.—PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF
INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES.
Diphtheria.
Twenty-one cases of Diphtheria were notified during the year
with one death, that of an adult, who contracted the disease and
died outside the district. One mild case of the disease occurred
in a child who had been inoculated a few months previously.
Immunisation was carried on steadily throughout the year,
but there was a slight fall in the total number of children
treated, 324, compared with 343 in 1936.
Experience has shown that the immunity conferred by a
single dose of Alum Toxoid (the method used in 1936) is inferior
to and less lasting than that given by two injections at an
interval of two weeks. During 1937 the two-dose method was
employed and it is not unlikely that this accounts for the decline
in the numbers treated, for one injection naturally appeals to
parents as saving time and minimising discomfort for the child.
It is, however, of great importance that immunisation should
not fall into disrepute owing to the use of unreliable methods.
A summary of the year's work is given below.

DIPHTHERIA NOTIFICATION RATE