FIGHT AGAINST DIPHTHERIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 May 1938, Page 9

FIGHT AGAINST DIPHTHERIA

CANADA SHOWS THE WAY. More than 1800 cases of diphtheria were notified in England' and Wales in a recent week. Such numbers are so common in England week after week, that we have come to take them for granted, says a writer in an English paper. In other parts; of the world, diphtheria is l far from uncontrollable.

In a paper published' in “The Lancet,” medical workers in Ontario have proved without a doubt that diphtheria isi preventable. Inoculations can as effectively control the spread of this disease as vaccination can smallpox. In 1925 the Connaught Laboratories at the University of Toronto distributed, material, for immunising susceptible people, to all the provincial and local health departments of Canada. The full benefit of any new campaign such as this always' takes' time, and it was not until about 1930 that there was a really striking decrease in the incidence and l deathraio of diphtheria. In Canada they have been using a substance called ’toxoid,” that is a formalised toxin or poison of the diphtheria bacillus. This formalising process renders the toxin safe for injection without impairing its* immunising properties. At first they used only one injection, but as experience accumulated, they found that, to procure a high level of protection, three doses were necessary. For this and other reasons, it was not until 1930 onward that diphtheria was completely under control.

The success of this 1 campaign against diphtheria in Canada is almost romantic, as some of the reports indicate. In Hamilton, Ontario, with its 150,000 population, there has not been a single case since 1933, and no death since 1930. There are about 650,000 people in Toronto, but the incidence of diphtheria has dropped' from 16-1 per 100,000 in 1930 to 3.5 in 1934. TORONTO’S RECORD. In the days before immunisation, the annual deaths' alone were anything from forty-five to ninety-eight. For fifteen months- from January, 1934 nobody died from diphtheria in Toronto. There has been a similar sharp fall in Montreal. In the smaller cities and towns the reports are equally brilliant. No child in Brantford, Ontario, with a population of 31,000, has developed diphtheria since 1930. For eight .years there hasn’t been a death among the 27,000 inhabitants of St. Catharines.

These are only a few of the reports. In New York immunisation against diphtheria lias been more or less as successful. Anyone inspecting any of their fever hospitals' isi greeted with amused incredulity if he -asks to see a severe case of diphtheria. A study of the notificationfei of diphtheria in England, published in the “Lancet,” are in striking contrast to these figures from Canada. In the week ending February 5, there were 187 notifications in England and Wales. In 125 great towns, including London, there were thirtyseven deaths. On February 11 there were 1357 cases of diphtheria in the L.C.C. fever hospitals. These hospitals had more cases of diphtheria than any other disease. These figures- very naturally raise lho question why immunisation is not being pushed more successfully. There has been some improvement, but England is still far behind most other

There has alwaysi been strong objection to innoculations against disease. Parents, for instance, can, on conscientious grounds, prevent their children being vaccinated against smallpox'. Although.there are no cases of smallpox for the moment in England, and it is for the time being a mild disease, severe outbreaks have been, and will go on, occurring. This rooted' prejudice against these preventive innoculationsi isi a serious hindrance to public health work, and is causing many hundreds of deaths a year from diphtheria. Local authorities are giving every facility for the necessary immunisation, but their efforts are not enough. To make this campaign a real success, wide 1 and continuous Government publicity is the only possible hope of success.