§ Mr. BLACKasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that in the United States vaccination is invariably only enforced at school age; and whether, in view of the absence of any special small-pox incidence amongst the child population there, he will consider the advisability of extending the age for compulsory primary vaccination in this country from six months to five years?
§ Mr. BURNSThere appears to be no general law as to vaccination for the whole of the United States of America, each State having its own legislation. Statistics as to age incidence of small-766W pox deaths can only be given for the special "registration area" in the United States of America, in which, in the years 1908–10, the proportion of deaths from small-pox at ages under five to deaths from this disease at all ages varied between 25.4 and 31.5 per cent. As regards the last point, the imperfect data available do not in themselves indicate the desirability of any change in the age of compulsory vaccination.