§ Mr. Kirbyasked the Minister of Health how many children in the city of Liverpool have been inoculated against diphtheria; what was the extent of the recent outbreak of that disease among children in the city; and whether he is satisfied that inoculation entirely prevents or minimises infection?
§ Mr. ElliotI am informed by the local authority that the number of persons inoculated against diphtheria in Liverpool to the end of 1937 was 46,175, the majority of whom were children at the time of inoculation, and that 821 cases of diphtheria in children under 15 years of age were notified during the first quarter of 1938. I am advised that the value of artificial immunisation against diphtheria has received world-wide recognition and in communities in which the practice has been systematically followed until the majority of otherwise susceptible children have been immunised the incidence of the disease has fallen substantially.