HC Deb 15 November 1982 vol 32 cc61-2W
Dr. Roger Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider introducing the Schick skin testing of all children over the age of 10 years who have not received the full protective immunisation in infancy and early childhood against diphtheria and advising that negative reactions should be vaccinated as soon as possible.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

For more than 15 years, between 75 per cent. and 80 per cent. of infants in England have received full immunisation against diphtheria, and the provisional percentage for 1981 was 83 per cent. The incidence of notifications of the disease in England and Wales in the past few years has been low: two cases were reported in each of the years 1976 and 1977; none in 1978 and 1979; five in 1980; and two in 1981 (provisional figure). The school health service is in a position to offer vaccination to those children who are not protected on entry to school, at which age it can be performed without a prior Schick test. In these circumstances, I have no plans to propose routine Schick testing of unvaccinated children over the age of 10 years. It is, of course, open to parents to consult their family doctor about this procedure.