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Protection against smallpox, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus
and poliomyelitis is available at all the Council's clinics and at the
surgeries of all general practitioners. All mothers of young children
are notified by health visitors of the need for immunisation and are
constantly reminded by widely displayed posters and leaflets.
Vaccination against tuberculosis is offered to all contacts
of infectious cases and carried out by the chest physician. In addition
all school children who have not acquired natural immunity are offered
this protection at approximately thirteen years of age. Pupils who may
have acquired natural immunity are referred to the chest physician for
chest x-ray to ensure that no treatment is necessary following their
exposure to the infection.
There is a welcome increase in the percentage of children under
two years of age who had by the end of the year completed immunisation
against whooping cough, diphtheria and poliomyelitis. There is also a
very considerable increase in the numbers of children who were immunised
against tetanus.
The need for maintaining a high level of immunisation against these
diseases cannot be overstated. Although this involves a slightly unpleasant
experience for mothers and children, the consequences of failure
are very much more unpleasant and may indeed be fatal. Isolated outbreaks
of these diseases continually occur in different parts of the country,
reminding us of the constant need to encourage parents to bring their children
forward and to accept the immunisations which are offered.
The percentage of children vaccinated against smallpox continues
to decline. With the increasing mobility of the population the chance of
smallpox being introduced into this country grows greater year by year.
The World Health Organisation is carrying out programmes aimed towards the
elimination of smallpox from countries where it is at present endemic, but
until these come to fruition the chance of imported disease remains very
real. When a case occurs enormous demands are made for the mass vaccination
of contacts and those who have had the foresight to obtain vaccination
protection previously are at a very great advantage. Vaccination which is
delayed until after infection has occurred decreases in its protective
efficiency the later it is given and in an extensive outbreak, which can
very easily occur, contacts may be unable to be traced and protected until
it is too late to prevent their suffering from the disease. Until a reliable
and effective treatment is discovered vaccination remains our most potent
weapon in protecting ourselves from an epidemic. I would like to see
as many mothers bringing their children forward for vaccination against smallpox
as do to obtain protection against the other infectious diseases.
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