HC Deb 11 July 1923 vol 166 cc1374-8W
Mr. R. DAVIES

asked 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. CHAMBERLAIN

The 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.

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. BROMFIELD

asked 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?

III.—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. MURRAY

asked 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. CHAMBERLAIN

Information 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. CHAMBERLAIN

The 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 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. LEACH

asked 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. CHAMBERLAIN

The 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. BROMFIELD

asked 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. CHAMBERLAIN

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the second part, therefore, does not arise.

Mr. BECKER

asked 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. CHAMBERLAIN

The 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- 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. BROAD

asked 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. CHAMBERLAIN

I 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)