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61
PROTECTION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS
Vaccination against tuberculosis continued to be offered to 13-year-old pupils attending both maintained
and independent schools.
After the parent's consent has been obtained a simple skin test is administered to determine whether
or not the child needs protection. If the skin reacts to the test it usually means the child has developed some
immunity, but all such cases are investigated at the Mass X-ray Unit or Chest Clinic. During 1969, the testing
of school entrants normally at the age of five years was continued throughout the Borough. In all cases where
a reaction was noted the child was referred to the Chest Clinic.
The table below gives the number of children tested and vaccinated:—
Leavers
(i) Number of children whose parents were approached 2,865
(ii) Number of children tested 2,102—73.4%
(iii) Number of those in (ii) negative to Heaf Tests 1,801—85.7%
(iv) Number of those in (iii) B.C.G. vaccinated 1,784—99.1%
(v) Percentage of Vaccination to (i) above 62.3%
Entrants
(i) Number skin tested 3,764
(ii) Number positive 361— 9.6%
(iii) Number negative 3,368—89.5%
CONVALESCENT TREATMENT
Twenty children were recommended for recuperative holidays under Section 28 of the National Health
Service Health Act, 1946, for which the Education Authority accepted responsibility These arrangements are
made on the recommendation of the School Medical Officer or General Practitioner in respect of children who
have been found to be in poor health or suffering from a disability for which a holiday is considered to be an
essential part of the recuperative treatment. In no way are they intended to provide annual holidays for
children whose parents are unable to do so.

AUDIOMETRY
The routine testing of pure tone audiometer of every school childs hearing continued. A "sweep"
test is carried out in the first instance in the school, normally at the ages of 6, 9 and 13 years, failures are
retested at clinics under more favourable conditions. Children failing the second test are then referred to
School Medical Officers for further investigation.
The establishment of operators was increased by one part time operator during the year. This was
necessary because of additional sessions at the Audiology Unit where an operator is required and the increasing
number of immigrant children being admitted to school who through language or other difficulties take
longer to test.
Special cases (for example children who fail to develop proper speech, fail without apparent reason
to make progress at school) were tested at the clinics at the request of Medical Officers, Speech Therapists,
Educational Psychologists and Head Teachers.
A table showing the numbers dealt with during the year is given below, the figures for 1968 in
brackets.