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Venereal Disease
The nearest hospitals with venereal disease clinics
are West Middlesex, Central Middlesex, Hillingdon
and West London Hospitals.
Attached to most venereal disease clinics is a
social worker who gives assistance with the social
problems arising from these diseases, and most
clinics also make efforts to trace and secure
treatment for contacts. Throughout the country
the incidence of venereal disease is on the increase
which is as much a social as a medical problem.
Vaccination and Immunisation Section 26
Vaccination and immunisation is provided jointly
by general medical practitioners and local health
authority services.
Ministry of Health Circular No 3/67 dealt with
new arrangements for general practitioners'
records. As from 1st April vaccination and
immunisation were included as items of service
for which fees are directly payable to practitioners
by Executive Councils. This method of payment
superseded the arrangement whereby a fee was
paid by local health authorities to general medical
practitioners for records of completed courses and
reinforcing doses of immunisation and vaccination
of persons under 16 years of age. Copies of
immunisation and vaccination records completed
by general medical practitioners are now sent to
local health authorities by Executive Councils. In
order to complete the exchange of information,
general medical practitioners are now sent
particulars of patients on their lists who have been
vaccinated or immunised in local health authority
clinics.
The local health authority still has the
responsibility for ensuring that the number of
children protected by vaccination or immunisation
is maintained and, if possible, increased. In order
to achieve this, a new type of consent card was
introduced which included an option for
immunisation to be carried out either by the
general practitioner or the local health authority.
If the parent chooses treatment by the general
practitioner the consent form is sent to him,
otherwise a clinic appointment is made. General
practitioners are also notified when a child on
their list becomes due for a reinforcing dose.
Much additional work devolved upon members
of the department's clerical staff in carrying out
these new procedures.
Poliomyelitis
During the year 3,526 children under the age of
16 years completed the course of treatment
necessary for protection. A further 3,226 children
were given 'boost' doses.
Diphtheria, Whooping Cough and Tetanus
The general practice is to use triple antigen and to
use oral vaccine for poliomyelitis. In certain cases,
on clinical grounds, it may be advisable to omit
whooping cough protection.

Smallpox
The number of persons under 16 years of age who
received primary vaccination was 2,284 and
98 were re-vaccinated.
Measles
Ministry of Health Circular CMO 20/67 advised
that the previous procedure for measles
vaccination was superseded by a single dose of live
attenuated measles vaccine, preferably given in the
second year of life. It was still not recommended
that authorities generally should make arrangements
to offer vaccination against measles.
Tuberculosis
Since 1957 protection against tuberculosis has
been offered to secondary school pupils. The
BCG vaccine is also used by the chest clinics for
the protection of child contacts.
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