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Whooping Cough
The year under review was also a favourable one from the point of
view of whooping cough infection. The total cases notified fell from 345
in the year before to 154, all being resident children except four. All
recovered.
The County Council's scheme of immunisation and vaccination
formulated under Section 26 of the National Health Service Act now
includes immunisation against whooping cough. This form of preventive
treatment is finding increasing favour with parents and the number of
children treated is increasing steadily. As observed earlier, it is possible
to combine this treatment with anti-diphtheria prophylaxis. As more
infections are successfully brought within the scope of immunisation
procedures, such combinations of immunising materials with a corresponding
reduction in the number of injections becomes very desirable,
if not essential. Recently, B.C.G. vaccination against tuberculosis has
been adopted to a limited extent and gives promise of expansion. A
successful vaccine against poliomyelitis, too, appears to be within sight.
It is easy to appreciate, when schemes of immunisation against this
growing list of diseases becomes fully developed, that the organisation
of a convenient programme of injections in early childhood may well
present a problem.
The estimated number of children at 31st December under 5 years
of age given immunisation treatment against whooping cough was 1351,
representing 36% of the total in that age group.
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