HC Deb 02 April 1953 vol 513 c1363
55. Mr. Hobson

asked the Minister of Health the ages of the persons in Lancashire and Yorkshire who are recorded as having developed smallpox in the recent outbreak; what was their original vaccinal condition; how many of them had been vaccinated as contacts or otherwise before the development of the smallpox eruption; and for what reason the Mons Mill at Todmorden was closed.

The Minister of Health (Mr. Iain Macleod)

The ages of the 19 cases confirmed up to yesterday ranged from one year nine months to 60 years. Of these, ten had no original vaccination, seven had not been vaccinated since infancy and two had been vaccinated in infancy and again in the 1914–18 war. Fourteen were vaccinated or revaccinated after the outbreak had started. The mill closed voluntarily for a short time when smallpox was confirmed so that investigations could be carried out and the risks of contact reduced.