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20 Report of the Medical Officer of Health for 1981.
The Clinics are intended for the immunisation of susceptible
children, and of any adults who may be brought into close and
frequent contact with children.
Method of Procedure:—The following is the routine
procedure:—A Schick test is performed on all adults and on
children over 5 years of age at their first visit, and the result
is read on the second attendance a week later. If the result is
positive, showing susceptibility to Diphtheria, the first immunising
injection of 1 c.c. of Toxoid Anti-toxin mixture is given on the
same day. Second and third injections of the same strength
are given at intervals of a week.
As experience has shown that the large majority of children
under 5 years of age give a positive Schick test, the procedure
is modified in their case by omitting the preliminary test, the
first immunising injection being administered at the first attendance.
This has the advantage of reducing the number of attendances
from four to three.
A leaflet describing the procedure has been drawn up and
this is distributed by the Council's Officers when visiting homes
and at the Welfare Centres. The London County Council have
given permission for these leaflets to be distributed at their
schools, and many thousands have been given out in this
manner.
Attendances:—The number of persons who have attended
at the Clinics was 1,169 in 1928, 647 in 1929, 849 in 1930,
and 684 in 1931, making a total of 3,349 in four years. These
numbers are not large when compared with the child population
of the Borough which was returned as 81,114 at the 1921 Census,
but they are an indication that there is a certain demand for
the service.
2,528 of the total number who attended were given the
Initial Schick Test to see if they were susceptible to Diphtheria,
and the remaining 821 were given immunising injections without
a preliminary Schick Test. Almost all of the latter were young