[Report 1970-1971] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire County Council.

  • Berkshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1971
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1970-1971] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    21/84 (page 17)
    Rubella Vaccination In July 1970, Circular 11/70 was issued by the Department of Health and Social Security stating that the joint committee on vaccina- ation and immunisation had recommended that vaccination against rubella should be offered to all girls between their eleventh and four- teenth birthdays. The Secretary of State had accepted this recommendation and asked all local authorities to make arrangements for a scheme of vaccina- tion as soon as possible, indicating that the supply of vaccine would be issued free of charge from the Department between September 1970, and March 1971, but that local authorities would be responsible for the purchase of vaccine from 1st April 1971. Rubella vaccination was introduced in the County in September 1970, and vaccination was offered to all girls in the thirteen year age group. The aim of this vaccination programme is not to eradicate rubella from the community but to protect girls before they reach childbearing age, and thus eliminate the risk of foetal malformations due to rubella in early pregnancy. Special visits were made to secondary schools during 1970 and early 1971, to carry out vaccinations and vaccination is now offered as a routine to girls when they reach the age of thirteen. B.C.G. vaccination continued to be offered to all school children but arrangements were made at the end of 1971 to introduce vaccina- tions at the age of twelve years rather than thirteen in order to avoid clashing with the rubella vaccination programme. Rabies Vaccination In November 1971, Circular 55/71 gave approval for local authorities to make arrangements for the vaccination against rabies of those exposed to special risk of contracting the disease in the course of their work. It was ascertained that there were a number of persons in the County .who were in contact with animals liable to develop rabies and accordingly rabies vaccination was made available to them. The vaccination schedule consists of two doses given six weeks apart followed by a reinforcing dose six months later. A reinforcing dose is then required annually. Computer System for Immunisation From 1st April 1971, details of all births to Berkshire parents were recorded on the County Council’s computer. From this information together with details supplied by the health visitors it became possible to send appointment cards to parents inviting them to take their children at the appropriate time to their doctor’s surgery or to the local child health clinic, according to their wishes, for the primary courses of immunisation. At the same time, the surgeries and clinics can be informed of the children who are due to attend for immunisation. The first appointment postcards were sent out in September, 1971, when the first children whose records were held on the computer were due to be immunised. By the end of the year these children had received their second courses of triple antigen and polio vaccine under the computer system.