POLIOMYELITIS VACCINE

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28080, 22 September 1956, Page 10

POLIOMYELITIS VACCINE

USE IN CANTERBURY ON THURSDAY

Vaccination of nine-year-old schoolchildren against poliomyelitis will begin in North Canterbury next Thursday. Just over a week later five school medical officers of the Department of Health, assisted by nurses in some outlying areas, will have vaccinated more than 4300 children in 193 schools. The vaccine was unloaded from the Cambridge in Wellington yesterday morning and flown to Christchurch. National Airways Corporation planes flew specially-constructed relrigerated containers, 821 b for Christchurch, and 601 b for Timaru, to Harewood in the afternoon. The vaccine for use in the Timaru district was transhipped to a Trans-island Airways plane. All the vaccine will be kept in refrigerated storage until it is taken out by the school medical officers, who will be working to a tight schedule. The Deputy District Medical Officer of Health (Dr. H. T. Knights) said yesterday that the vaccinations were beginning somewhat later than had been expected so that school teachers had plenty of notice to get their pupils ready. If vaccine in left over after the nine-year-old children have been vaccinated, a start will be made on those eight-year-old children whose parents have signified their willingness ,to have the vaccination done.