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Medical Research Council Investigations
The measles vaccine trials started in 1964, in which the Middlesex County Health
Department co-operated, continued during 1965. This involved the health visitors in
the Twickenham area in contacting the parents of 783 children, at 3-monthly intervals
in February, May and August, to record details of the child's health and the incidence
of measles in the family. On completion of the trial, 134 children who had acted as
unvaccinated controls were vaccinated in October. Up to the end of 1965, there had
been no notified case of measles in a vaccinated child except for one case which
developed a rash 24 hours after receiving his second injection and was notified as
measles.
During November and December, the department co-operated in an investigation
into the reactions following triple vaccine in infants, the purpose of the trial being
to compare three vaccines of different manufacture. These were given as part of the
normal immunisation procedure; the health visitors were then asked to do a follow-up
visit to the child's home next morning to complete a simple questionnaire on its
reactions to the injection. 213 children were given the vaccine, and completed questionnaires
were obtained for 207.
PREVENTION OF ILLNESS, CARE AND AFTER-CARE

The total number of cases on the register at the end of the year is as follows: —
Pulmonary 1460
Non-Pulmonary 201