[Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Northampton County Borough.

Tuberculosis (continued) B.C.G. Vaccination. During the year, 1,602 persons (tuberculin negative) were vaccinated with B.C.G. vaccine. 206 of these were con¬ tacts, and 1,396 were school children. The B.C.G. Control Centre operating in the Oxford Region and detailed in last year’s Report continued to function during 1960 covering the following groups:— (i) children between their thirteenth and fourteenth birthdays; (ii) children who are approaching 13 years of age and can conveniently be vaccinated along with others of that age, (iii) children of 14 years of age and older; and (iv) students attending universities, teacher training colleges, technical colleges or other establishments of further education. A further report issued by the Medical Director covering a year’s working of the Centre to mid-1960 again emphasised the satisfactory conversion rate (96.0 per cent.) with the use of British freeze-dried vaccine. As the conversion rates were proved to have been very high for some considerable time the work of the Control Centre was accomplished. It was decided to revert purely to B.C.G. vaccination without the time consuming conversion test, etc. It is interesting to note that during the years 1955/60, out of 5,682 persons tested with tuberculin only two cases were found to be suffering from active tuberculosis. Mass Miniature Radiography. Extracts from the report on the seventh survey held in Northampton County Borough during 1958 were given on pages 55 and 56 of the Annual Report for 1958. No survey took place in 1959 or 1960. The Unit is managed by the Oxford Regional Hospital Board and operates from headquarters in Northampton. Comparative figures for each of the surveys in Northampton County Borough are recorded below:—- PERSONS ACTIVE CASES FOUND NEW CASES PER SURVEY DATE EXAMINED TOTAL NEW ONLY 1,000 EXAMINED First 1945/6 14,544 79 76 5*22 Second 1946/7 12,242 36 34 2*78 Third 1947/8 12,585 25 25 1*99 Fourth 1949 13,493 29 27 2*00 Fifth 1952 27,962 55 55 T97 Sixth 1955 27,081 47 46 T70 Seventh 1958 36,684 18 17 0’46 These surveys do not include factories where special investigations are made.