, 1881-03-05
VACCINATION AND REvAcCINATIoN.

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The Local Government Board have issued q
circular, dated the 26th January, to the metro
politans boards of guardians, directing attention
to- the necessity, in view of the present pre-
valeDce of smallpox, Of special measures
being taken for the promotion of vaccination
and revaccinatiop. The board recommend
that special Inquiries. if necessary from house
to house, should be made by vaccination Off
GERS In order t. detect all children Who are
illegally unvaccinated, and that means should
be taken to make known the advantage of
revaocination. It is stated that generally
speaking, the best time- of life for revaccina-
ton is when growth is completing itself, or.
between the age of Is and Is; but tbs board
advises that when smallpox becomes epiiem-
ic, not only should all persons above Is years
OF age. who have hitherto neglected to have
themselves revaccinated, be careful TO neg
lect 1t no longer, but in cases where there is
likelihood of injection. even the aga of Is
should rot be waited for, especially by those
whose marks Of original vaccination are unsa-
tisfactory. 1t is further stated that reVacci-
nation ,::once properly and successfully perform
cd. does not appear ever to require repetition.
The nurses and other servants of the London
Smallpox Hospital, when they enter the
service, unless it be certain that they have
already had Smallpox, are invariably sub
mitted to vaccination, which in their case
generally is revacclnation, and Is never after
wards repeated /; and so perfect is the prolec-
ton, that though the nurses live in the clos
est and most constant attendance on smallpox
patients, and though, also, the Other servants
are 10 various ways exposed to special chances
Of infection, the resident surgeon of the hos
pital, during bis Al years of office there, has
never known small pox to affect any of these
nurses or servants. To this experience is
added that Of the Metropolitan Asylums
Board, which Shows that of the numerous
nurses employed by the managers in their
large hospitals, although such nurses inevita-
bly, come into contact with cases of smallpox
of the most malignant type, not one has ever
died from that disease, and 10 three or four
instances in which they have contracted it
it has shown itself 10 n very modified form. 1t
has been the practice to revacclnate these
nurses on their entering upon their duties.
but not to repeat the operation and thus, 80
fsr as this very extensive experience goes,
it shows that rsvacoination, properly per
formed, affords almost absolute protection
from smallpox, and entire immunity from
fatal attacks Of that disease. The boar d fur
Their points out that revaocination Is new
perforped by all public vacciuatOrs at their
respective vaccinating stations; aud, so far
as is not Inconsistent with the more impera-
tive claims for primary vaccination, any per-
son coming within tbe terms of the regula-
tions may ,On applying to the public station
Of the district in which he resides, obtain
revaccination free of personal cost. A second
circular, dated the 9Th January, has been
issued in reference to the children born in
work.bouses and poor-law infrmavies, most
Of whom have hitherto escaped vaccination
in consequence Of The difficulty of tracing
them after the discharge Of their mothers,
Ills recommended that 10 these cases the
operation should be performed within a Week
after the birth of the child.-StGndard, Lon
don, Feb. 1881,