DIPHTHERIA IN N.S.W.

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 July 1934, Page 4

DIPHTHERIA IN N.S.W.

TO INOCULATE EVERY CHILD.

SYDNEY, June 2G.

For some months past the recurrence of cases of diphtheria at widely separated centres—at Bourke, Dungog, Gundaghi, Goulburn, Newcastle anil’in the metropolis area —has attracted the attention of th,e medical authorities, and has caused a certain amount of anxiety among all classes of the community. Dr. Morris, one of the chief, health officers, a few weeks ago issued a reassuring statement to the effect that every four or five years there is a renewed outbreak of diphtheria amounting practicaly to an epidemic —I he reason for the intermittent nature of this visitation being that in Iho interval a number of infants not yet immune have developed to the stage at which they arc more liable to be attacked by the disease. But in the opinion of Dr. Morris and most of his colleagues there was no cause for any public alarm.l'!owovci\" since llicii (Jiplitnei i<i cases have been reported from other centres, and Dr. Dick, our DirectorGeneral of Public Health, has recently admitted that “the incidence of diphtheria throughout this State has been higher this year than for the comparable period of last. year. A little later Newcastle, Queanbeyan, and other centres reported that their isolation blocks were being crowed with diphtheria cases, and the city health officer, Dr. Purdy, stated publicly that during the months March-May close on 300 ca'ses of this malady have been recorded in Sydney and suburbs. Dr. Dick thinks that though there are more cases than usual foi. the season of the year, the disease is ol a milder type and a smaller percentage of cases prove fatal. Bu.t as against this figures recently published by the Government Statistician Show, that in April this year there were 13 deaths from diphtheria in Sydney, as against only six in April, 1933; and the epidemic seems to have developed in intensity since. At last the health inspector for Rey.de district, in view of the many cases among school children theie, suggested that the Education Department should initiate precautionary measures; and finally Dr. Dick has decided upon a State-wide campaign of immunisation. Pointing out that diphtheria has cost the State at least £250,000, as well as many valuable lives during the past ten years, he urged parents and teachers to cooperate with him in an attempt to secure the inoculation of every child in New South Vv’ales against this disease. . The proposal was received with the usual amount of ignorant and prejudiced criticism from certain quarters. . . several people writing to the newspapers expressed doubt whether anti-diphtheria serum may be not only useless but positively dangerous. Recalling the Bundaberg tragedy some years back (when 12 children lost their lives), and similar cases of misadventure in America and Europe. To this Dr. Dick replied that the anatoxin which he proposes to employ, made up in the Commonwealth laboratories from a European formula, is not only innocuous but extremely' efficacious. Last week the first diphtheria clinic was opened in Sydney, and was well attended. The programme includes three injections of anatoxin to be given within six weeks, and arrangements are being made with 300 municipalities outside Sydney for co-opera-tion on these lines by the local health and educational authorities. The cost of inoculation is estimated at 5/- per child, but in the case of parents unable to pay the fee—and probably in all cases—the expense will be borne by the State. This anti-diphtheria, campaign is certainly a great undertaking, but in spite of the expense involved it will certainly justify itself if it succeeds in checking the ravages of this obstinate and dangerous disease.