[Report 1961] / Medical Officer of Health, Blackwell R.D.C.

  • Blackwell (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1961
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1961] / Medical Officer of Health, Blackwell R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/78 (page 11)
    ILarlicr on, I said that figures did not mean too much to me and in contradiction I have just given you some. However, these are not just figures. Thej^ are people whom I have seen and questioned. 1 would like now to tell you what the parents said to me. All the ])arents, whose children had been immunised but had still caught whooping cough, were satisfied and they all said the}^ would do it again. Even the mother whose child had been ill took the view that the child might have been more ill without it. As for those children who had not been immunised, over half of their parents expressed regret that they had not been and said any future children would be. I feel I must tjuote from two in this group :— 1. “My child played closely with four other children, three of them had been immuni.sed and they did not develop whooping cough, the other one had not been immunised and did develop it.’’ 2. “Those children in contact with mine, who had been immunised, did not develop whooping cough.’’ Well, there it is. The alrove satisfies me and the people concerned. M’e feel whooping cough immunisation is worth while. I make no claim that the above is of any scientific value but it convinces me and you, I hope. You will see that quite a number of cases were in people who had been immunised—this was no surprise. Xo-one has ever claimed that whooping cough immunisation is anything like so effective as diphtheria but I am satisfied it is well worth while. I wish to end with my recommended time table for immunisation in infants. 2 months. 1st Triple injection (against Diphtheria, \\’hoop- ing Cough and Tetanus). 3 4 6 7 2nd 3rd \accination against smallpox. 1st anti poliomyelitis by mouth. 8 18 2nd 3rd 4th Triple injection to boost immunitv.