INFLUENZA SERUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19202, 19 June 1924, Page 8

INFLUENZA SERUM.

VACCINATION OFFER A NO PROTECTTU.s. “Vaccination did not produce any clearcut protection against influenza,” is tne conclusion oi Major it. J. iVicuois oi tne U.t>.rx. Army iladicar Corps, reporting on vaccination against influenza tor IDX2-3J a liUauiai correspondent of the Cfirrsiidn Gciciicc ru.oiuioi.j- in the introduction to tfie report Major Aichors says that “each winter since •Is problem ot acute respiratory diseases, active efforts have been made at the Amiy Medical. School to test the value of vaccination against one or more of these diseases . The results ot.tlns work need not bo discussed at this time, except to say tnat, with the possible exception cl pneumonia . no radical progress has neen made in the solution of the, problem cl the control ol respiratory diseases by vaccination. The principal experiment in vaccinating against influenza was undertaken at Fort Myer under the direction ot Major M, VV. Hafl of tlie Medical Corps, who concludes tnat The ’ results shown seem to indicate furtner experiment with larger doses. ifie i©sults oi similar work at Governors fs.and weru "equally inconclusive.” The men were not compelled to be vaccinated, And 11 rcfused. “As soon as vaccine ol sufficient, promise is available, it can be made obligatory for recruits, and then its full value will be evident,” is is slated, in discussing the subject of young recruits. The general conclusion is that tfie re Bulls are not decisive as there were not sufficient cases, but several cases of influenza did bocur among the vaccinated, and this evidence, with that at Port Myer, leads to the final conclusion that, with the doses used, vaccination with B pncumosirues did not produce any clear-cut protection against influenza. In view of our imperfect knowledge of the new group ol organism on which B nncuuioamtos w a member, U is premature to draw any final conclusion from this vaccination experiment as to the etiology of influenza. The persistent work oi the investigators at the Rockefeller Institute has revealed a new group oi organisms which can be handled only with laborious technique. The kev to the influenza problem very probably lies in this group, but further work is necessary, and at the proper time, fuivher co-operative work should be undertaken by the army.”