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27
Infective Diseases.
number found positive or negative in each group is shown.
In 15 cases the result was not ascertained as they failed to
attend to have the test read.
The last line of the Table gives the percentage of the resiilts
found to be positive in each age group, neglecting those in which
the test was not read, and brings out the well established
fact that susceptibility to Diphtheria decreases as age
advances.
Of the 1,168 persons who came to the Clinics during the
year, 655 were shown by the initial test to be susceptible to
Diphtheria. A further 269 young children were assumed to be
susceptible on account of their age, making a total of 924 persons
who required immunising; 854 of these were children under
the age of 15 years.
Immunisation of Susceptibles.
Many of the 924 susceptibles continued to attend the
Clinics in order to be immunised. 618 of them, together with
the three cases who attended for re-testing only after immunisation
elsewhere, making a total of 621 out of 927 cases, or
67 %, were found to be negative on re-testing, showing that
immunity had been produced. 92 were still positive when
last re-tested. Several of these have left the district, but it
is hoped that many of them will continue to attend until the
r-etest becomes negative. A few of these have already received
additional immunising doses.
181 susceptibles have received the first series of three doses,
but have not attended for a re-Schick test so that it is impossible
to say if they have been immunised successfully. 21 cases
have discontinued attending after one or two doses had been
administered, and 12 have not commenced the course.
The total number of cases who were re-tested after receiving
immunising doses, was 713, and as stated above, 621 gave
negative re-tests and 92 were still positive. The age grouping
of these ca es i; shown in Table XIV., and complete details
are given in Table XV,