§ Mr. Leachasked the Minister of Health whether the information supplied in response to his circular, dated 12th June, 1941, will inclucle the ages of the diphtheria cases and deaths, immunised or unimmunised, reported since 1st January, 1940; the ages of all diphtheria cases and deaths reported since the introduction of immunisation into the district reported upon; the diphtheria notifications and deaths for the 20 years prior to the introduction of immunisation into the area; and all the cases of diphtheria and deaths from that disease known to have occurred in children who had, at any time, been inoculated against diphtheria or pronounced Schick-negative?
§ Mr. E. BrownIn reply to the first part of the Question, the return referred to shows the aggregate number of cases of diphtheria in children under 15 notified between 1st January, 1940, and 30th September, 1941, and in what proportion of these cases the child had received a complete course of immunisation. The return does not provide the information asked for in the remainder of the Question: and I should not be justified at the present time in asking local authorities and their medical officers of health to undertake the laborious task involved in getting out such particulars, going back over many years, as my hon. Friend mentions.