§ Mr. Viantasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, on 4th December, 1957, Christopher Charles Sawyer, aged seven weeks, of Ingleby Road, Ilford, died a few hours after being vaccinated, the certified causes of death being bronchial pneumonia and atelectasis, a condition of incomplete lung expansion at birth; and whether he will consider issuing a recommendation that vaccination be not performed in such cases where infants are having a struggle to survive.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI have made inquiries and understand that at the time the vaccination was performed, the child appeared to be in normal health. There is no reason to believe that the child's death was due to a complication of vaccination. The Ministry of Health's Memorandum on Vaccination against Smallpox, which is designed to assist medical practitioners, gives full advice on the circumstances in which vaccination should be delayed or avoided.
§ Mr. Viantasked the Minister of Health what information he has about the death of Ann Millicent Joachim, of Belmont Terrace, Mansfield, who was found dead in bed four days after being inoculated against poliomyelitis; and whether he will report in detail on the course followed by the illness of this child.
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§ Mr. Walker-SmithI understand that the death was reported to the coroner, a post mortem examination was held, and the cause of death was acute primary lobar pneumonia. The inoculation against poliomyelitis took place twelve days, not four days, before death, and there is no reason to regard it as a contributory cause.