Report of the Commission of Public Health to the Minister of Public Health / Department of Public Health, Victoria.

  • Victoria. Commission of Public Health.
Date:
[1973]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Commission of Public Health to the Minister of Public Health / Department of Public Health, Victoria. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/40 (page 7)
    Tuberculin Testing—B.C.G. Vaccination. Tuberculin testing has continued in schools with pupils above Grade 6, i.e., 12 years old and above. B.C.G. vaccination is offered to the negative reactors. The present programme permits visiting all areas of the State every three years and consent rates for pupils last year were 94 per cent. Jn all 96,249 pupils were examined over the year yielding a positive reactor rate of 2-9 per cent. 31,341 pupils had been vaccinated in earlier years and of these 88*8 per cent, have positive tuberculin reactions. Rates for School Children. Age 12 years 16,643 tested 2-4 per cent, natural reactors : 1971 2-3 per cent. Age 13 years 17,730 tested 2-8 per cent, natural reactors : 1971 2*3 per cent. Age 14 years 17,118 tested 3-2 per cent, natural reactors : 1971 3-2 per cent. Post B.C.G. Re-examinations. All ages and groups— (3/12 to 12 years after vaccination) 3,516 tested—84 per cent, -five : 1971 86 per cent. Contacts and others— (3/12 after vaccination) .. 1,146 tested—94 per cent, -fve : 1971 93 per cent. In addition “ all age ” surveys of primary school children were carried out in two city municipalities ; Prahran and Sunshine. In each of these municipalities there is a high migrant content which would reflect higher natural reactor rates. The consent rate was 96 per cent. 12,286 pupils were tested and the natural reactor rate was 1 • 5 per cent. Surveys have also been made of various other groups, including contact surveys in schools and a factory—in all 105,146 were examined and 59,028 vaccinations performed during the year. Four National Service intakes included 4,253 personnel aged 20 and 21 years and yielded a natural reactor rate of 9 • 5 per cent. The Victorian trainee rate was 9 • 1 per cent, natural reactors, 89 per cent, had previously been B.C.G. vaccinated, and of these 88*5 per cent, gave positive tuberculin reactions. Bacteriology. Reliable bacteriological support is essential in tuberculosis detection and control. Appreciation is again expressed for the co-operation and help given by the staff of the Tuberculosis Laboratory at Fairfield Hospital. The figures for this year’s report have been compiled some weeks earlier than in previous years, so that isolations from cultures carrying over into 1973 are not included and consequently are less. During the year the Laboratory’s work resulted in— 15,880 direct smear examinations, 16,503 cultural examinations, 240 animal inoculations, 2,267 sensitivity tests. Isolations of tubercle bacilli were made from 295 patients of whom 230 were new cases, 32 were “ carry over ” cases from the end of 1971, 23 were from reactivated cases, and 10 were from persons with chronically active tuberculosis. Primary Resistance. Fifteen cases with primary resistance were detected, 13 were migrants. In the past 9 years there have been 89 cases of primary resistance detected and 54 of these persons were born outside of Australia. Bovine Type. One isolation was made during the year (a man with a groin abscess). Treatment. The measure of efficacy of tuberculosis treatment now hinges around the time taken for bacterial conversion to non-infectivity, and the number of relapses or reactivations of disease recorded, as it is fully justified to expect 100 per cent, conversion of all patients—whether new or previously treated. Even drug resistance, comparatively rare in our patients, is not a major handicap when backed up by our efficient laboratory services and available range of drugs.