§ Mr. R. DAVIESasked the Minister of Health whether certain boroughs and urban districts sent notifications of their small-pox cases to the Local Government Board from the year 1891; and, if so, will he state for each year from 1891 to 1922 the total number of cases of small-pox notified and the percentage of births vaccinated for each of those years?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, except that no particulars of notifications of small-pox are available for the year 1891. The following Table gives (I) the total number of cases notified in certain large towns in each of the years 1892 to 1910, with the total population of those towns: (II) the total number of cases occurring in the whole of England and Wales in each of the years 1911 to 1922; and (III) the percentage of births to vaccinations in England and Wales in each of the years 1892 to 1921. The vaccination figures for 1922 are not yet available and no separate statistics as to vaccination can be given for the areas to which Part I of the Tables relates.
I.—Number of cases of Small-pox notified in each of the years 1892 to 1910, inclusive, in certain large towns (including London), with the total population of such towns.
1375W
Year. No. of cases of Small-pox. Population. 1892 1,999 11,833,279 1893 10,438 11,894,990 1894 6,319 12,312,200 1895 1,949 12,257,700 1896 2,713 12,369,163 1897 195 13,095,255 1898 1,561 13,128,484 1899 931 13,128,484 1900 486 13,244,357 1901 1,980 15,555,319 1902 13,923 18,697,791 1903 7,383 18,781,337 1904 5,766 19,845,072 1905 2,338 20,333,508 1906 1,020 20,653,699 1907 127 21,050,550 1908 22 22,189,310 1909 87 20,029,880 1910 108 21,662,652 II.—Number of cases of small-pox occurring in England and Wales in each of the years 1911 to 1922 (Inclusive).
Year. No. of cases of Small-pox. 1911 289 1912 121 1913 113 1914 65 1915 93 1916 159 1917 7 1918 63 1919 311 1920 280 1921 336 1922 973
Unvaccinated. Vaccinated in Infancy. Vaccinated later. Revaccinated. Stated to have been vaccinated but showing no cicatrix of vaccination. After Infancy and before exposure to infection. After exposure to infection. 188 31* 1 3 2 2 * Including 2 suspected cases.
§ Mr. BROMFIELDasked the Minister of Health whether the organism of vaccinia has yet been isolated; and, if not, what guarantee can be given that it is present in any given sample of calf lymph issued by his Department for public vaccination purposes?
1376WIII.—Percentage of vaccinations to births in each of the years 1892–1921 (inclusive).
Year. Percentage. 1892 74.5 1893 72.3 1894 70.4 1895 67.8 1896 66.0 1897 62.4 1898 61.0 1899 66.4 1900 68.7 1901 71.4 1902 74.8 1903 75.4 1904 75.3 1905 75.8 1906 73.4 1907 70.9 1908 63.2 1909 59.8 1910 55.9 1911 52.3 1912 50.1 1913 46.5 1914 44.6 1915 45.5 1916 44.7 1917 43.3 1918 41.5 1919 40.6 1920 39.5 1921 38.3 The figures for 1922 are not yet available.
Lieut.-Colonel A. MURRAYasked the Minister of Health how many of the 409 persons noted as suffering from small-pox for the four weeks ended 30th June were vaccinated at birth and/or were vaccinated at a later period?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINInformation as to the vaccinal condition of these persons is at present available in only 227 of the cases. This information is given in the following statement, but the particulars are subject to revision in the light of further information which may subsequently be received:—
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, I am advised that the efficacy of the lymph issued from the Government lymph establishment is adjudged by the usual laboratory tests for purity and its effect as 1377W reported by public vaccinators. I may add that the Government lymph used during 1922 for 284,000 cases of primary vaccination gave a percentage success of 994.
§ Mr. LEACHasked the Minister of Health whether he can give information showing that as the percentage of exemptions from vaccination increased the cases of small-pox also increased, and dealing with each year for which the figures are available, namely, 1912 to 1921?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe following table gives the information desired by the hon. Member for each of the years 1912 to 1921:
Year. Percentages of Exemptions to Births. Cases of Small-pox. 1912 32.1 121 1913 35.2 113 1914 36.5 65 1915 35.8 93 1916 38.0 159 1917 37.9 7 1918 37.5 63 1919 40.1 311 1920 43.4 280 1921 45.0 336
§ Mr. BROMFIELDasked the Minister of Health whether the glycerinated calf lymph, manufactured by the Government, is tested on a certain number of children before being issued to the public vaccinators, with a view to ascertaining whether it is satisfactory; and, if so, whether the consent of the parents of the children is obtained before these experimental vaccinations are carried out?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the second part, therefore, does not arise.
§ Mr. BECKERasked the Minister of Health how many cases of small-pox have been notified this year; how many deaths have occurred from small-pox this year: and is he satisfied that all cases notified as small-pox are small-pox or have any cases so notified been found to be chickenpox?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe number of cases of small-pox notified this year up to the 30th June, is 1,225. No deaths had been registered up to the end of last week as due to small-pox, but I under-1378W stand that a fatal case occurred at Gloucester in an unvaccinated child on the 8th instant. As regards the last part of the question, I am advised that, in small-pox as in other infectious diseases, errors in the initial diagnosis have occurred in some cases, but the notification returns are corrected from time to time by the omission of those cases which, after notification, have been found to be cases of chicken-pox, and the addition of cases originally diagnosed as chicken-pox, but subsequently found to be cases of small-pox.
§ Mr. BROADasked the Minister of Health if he will supply particulars of the cases of small-pox and deaths from that disease in the City of Mexico during each of the last 10 years for which the figures are available?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI have no information as to the number of cases of small-pox in Mexico City. The following are the particulars available in my Department of the number of deaths from that disease in the city during each of the years 1913–1922:
1913 326 1914 259 1915 (No figures available) 1916 246 (10 months) 1917 479 1918 140 1919 12 1920 40 1921 429 1922 404 (10 months)