POLIOMYELITIS CASES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 150, 11 April 1950, Page 3

POLIOMYELITIS CASES

INJECTIONS MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSE LONDON, April 9. Injections given to children to prevent diphtheria may have caused severe cases of infantile paralysis, according to evidence published by the British Medical Association. Acting on this discovery, the London County Council has banned the use of the combined diphtlieria-whoop-ing cough injection in its clinics during the months' when, infantile paralysis is most prevalent. A Guy’s Hospital doctor found more than 80 cases of children Avho had developed infantile paralysis soon after they had been given injections. A Health Ministry doctor reported on 65 further cases in which paralysis occurred a fortnight after injections. In 49 cases the paralysis Avas confined to the limb in which the injection had been given. Nearly 40 more cases Avere found by a St. Pancras medical officer. The doctors, realising the danger of their findings to the Government’s diphtheria immunisation campaign, withheld publication of the evidence until some of the cases could be folloAved up over many months. Some of the children have taken more than a year to recover the full use of their wasted muscles. Others are still paralysed after 18 months. There is no evidence that the injections contained infantile paralysis germs. Tavo of the cases I'ollOAved injections of penicillin. Doctors believe that during an infantile paralysis epidemic thousands of people suffer mild attacks which normally do no harm, hut if an intramuscular injection is given during such a mild attack the irritation may cause the disease to flare up.

The Health Ministry Avill uoav have to decide Avhether injections of any kind should be Avithheld, whenever possible during infantile paralysis outbreaks.