HC Deb 17 November 1942 vol 385 cc212-4W
Mr. Leach

asked the Minister of Health whether he will explain the difference between the figures regarding diphtheria deaths in the Administrative County of London for the years 1940 and 1941 given in a recent answer in Parliament and those given in table 3 of the Registrar General's weekly returns number 53 for each year?

Mr. E. Brown

The figures given in my answer of 7th October to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for East Middlesbrough (Mr. A. Edwards) are the final number of deaths, classified by the Registrar General as clue to diphtheria, of persons resident in the County of London. The provisional figures published in the Registrar General's weekly returns are derived from numerical returns from local registrars, and relate to deaths occurring in London without correction for residence.

Mr. Viant

asked the Minister of Health how many cases sent to Darlington Hospital as clinical cases of diphtheria were rediagnosed as tonsilitis or some other disease during the last seven years; whether any of these rediagnosed cases proved fatal; and how many of the rediagnosed cases were immunised children?

Mr. Brown

I understand that general practitioners in Darlington are encouraged to send to the Infectious Diseases Hospital any case in which diphtheria is suspected, whether clinically established or not because of the great importance of administering diphtheria antitoxin as early in the disease as possible: and that during the last seven years there have been about 800 such admissions, covering all age groups. Of these 78 were found to be not diphtheria cases, 47 being diagnosed as tonsilitis and the remainder as cases of broncho-pneumonia, Vincent's angina, syphilis, scarlet fever, or measles. Six of these 78 cases proved fatal, and 13 of them were immunised children.

Mr. Viant

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the differences of opinion among the medical profession and other students of the matter as to the utility and safety of inoculation against diphtheria, he will arrange for an inquiry by a small committee, on which opponents of the practice will be represented, with a view to ascertaining to what extent the claims made on its behalf are justified by experience?

Mr. Brown

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for East Middlesbrough (Mr. A. Edwards) on 10th November.

Mr. Viant

asked the Minister of Health how many children up to five years of age and how many between five and 14 years of age were inoculated in the borough of Southend during the months January to June 1941; how many cases of diphtheria were notified in that period in immunised and unimmunised children; how many cases in that age class were rediagnosed; and whether there were any deaths in any of these four groups?

Mr. Brown

The numbers of children in Southend who received a full course of immunisation under local authority arrangements during the months January to June, 1941, were 568 under five years of age and 1,355 between the ages of five and 14. No cases of diphtheria were notified among immunised children. Among non-immunised children 17 cases were notified. None of these cases was rediagnosed. Two deaths occurred among non-immunised children under five.

Mr. Viant

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of diphtheria and deaths from that disease occurred in Darlington in children under five years of age and over that age in the years 1940 to 1941?

Mr. Brown

The numbers of cases of diphtheria notified from Darlington in the years 1940 and 1941 were 61 and 163 respectively. No information as to age is available to the Registrar General. The numbers of deaths classified to diphtheria by the Registrar General and assigned to Darlington according to residence were as follow:

Age
0–5 years 5 years, and over.
1940 … … 1 1
1941 … … 2 5

Mr. Viant

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of diphtheria and deaths from that disease were recorded in- the borough of Southend during the first six months of 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1940?

Mr. Brown

The numbers of cases of and deaths from diphtheria notified from Southend during the first six months of 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1940 were as follow:

Year Cases Deaths
1936 … … 19 1
1937 … … 30 1
1938 … … 38 1
1939 … … 48 3
1940 … … 14 —