Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne.

  • Melbourne (Vic.). Health Committee.
Date:
[1925]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/28 (page 23)
    Cases of Diphtheria among Tested Children.—Five cases of diphtheria occurred in children who had been shown to be liable to the disease, but had not been protected against it by immunisation. One case occurred in a child, who had given a positive test and had just commenced treatment, when she developed the disease. As the treatment has no effect for some weeks at least, she can be grouped with the previous five cases. One case occurred in a girl who had given a positive test and been immunised three months previous to her attack. Although a fair degree of immunity is usually developed in three months, it is now recognised that six months, or even longer, is frequently required before full protection is obtained. One case occurred in a boy recorded as not being liable to the disease. He had been dangerously ill with measles for over a week before the diphtheria developed. It is well known that measles greatly lowers a patient’s resistance to diphtheria. It is of interest that the two last cases both occurred in orphanages, and that in neither instance did a secondary case of diphtheria occur. In addition to these children, a nurse recorded as giving a doubtful reaction developed diphtheria. Although as a routine controls are done on adults she had not had one, and she had failed to report for the second reading of her test as she had been requested to do. Excluding two schools, many of whose pupils reside outside the city area, and allowing three months for the development of immunity, the total time in months of risk of infection to tested children was as follows:— Schick -f Immunised. Schick 4-Not Immunised. Schick Negative. • 2,974 1,748 11,472 Amongst these the cases of diphtheria were:— 1 6 1 Therefore, on the figures for the year, a Schick Negative child is 38 times less liable to take diphtheria than a Schick Positive, and one immunised three months previously 11 times less likely to take it than one positive but not immunised.