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responsibility for ensuring that the number of
children protected by vaccination or immunisation
to be carried out either by the family
doctor or the local health authority if the
parent chooses treatment by the family doctor
the consent form is sent to him otherwise a
clinic appointment is made Family doctors
are also notified when a child on their list
becomes due for a reinforcing dose
Poliomyelitis
During the year 3411 children under the age
of 16 years completed the course of treatment
necessary for protection A further
4722 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
The number of children under the age of 16
years who completed primary courses or were
given reinforcing injections during the year
was as under
Primary Reinforcing
course injections
Diphtheria 3294 5132
Whooping cough 2655 1937
Tetanus 3541 5456
Poliomyelitis 3411 4722
Smallpox 2539 134

22
The figures in colums (1) - (3) are calculated to
show the percentage of children born in 1967 who
have been vaccinated at anv one time
Column (4) includes only children who were
vaccinated during 1963 and were under 2 years old
at the time and is calculated as a percentage of
children born during 1967
Smallpox
The number of persons under 16 years of age who
received primary vaccination was 2539 and 184
were re vaccinated
The revised schedule recommended by the
joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
(Chief Medical Officer s letter 9 63 23/3 68)
includes a recommendation that vaccination
against smallpox should be carried out by or with
the knowledge of the family doctor The Committee s
intention in making this recommendation was to
inform the family doctor who might well be called
in the event of some complication of vaccination
It also introduces a check against the risk of
infection of some other member of the household
suffering from eczema or susceptible to it with
vaccina virus which could then lead to generalised
vaccina This recommendation was implemented by
simple procedures for communication between this
department and the family doctors
Measles
Ministry of Health circular 9 63 dated 19th March
was issued asking local health authorities to make
arrangements for vaccination against measles in
their areas to be brought into operation bv the
beginning of Mav At the same time the Minister s
formal approval to the arrangements as required bv
Section 26(2) of the National Health Service Act
1946 was given
At the outset the amount of vaccine available
was not sufficient to meet all possible demands
and the Minister found it necessary to phase the
programme During the months of May June and
July measles vaccination was offered only to
susceptible children born in the vears 1961 1962
1963 and 1964 and to susceptible children attending
dav nurseries and nursery schools or living in
residential establishments who were between their
first and seventh birthdays
The scheme was put into operation after consulta
tion with the local medical committee and family
doctors were invited to participate The Borough
Education Officer was also consulted about arrange-