EFFICACY OF VACCINATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2842, 5 August 1916, Page 8

EFFICACY OF VACCINATION

THE SMALLPOX' OUTBREAK ON ''

THE WILLOCHKA,

A report of the District' Health Officer at Duuedin on'? the smallpox outbreak on the transport Willochra contains the following interesting: remarks by that officer on-the eilicacy-of vaccination as a protection against the dread disease:— The recent outbreak, of smallpox uu the jVilluchra again serves to illustrate very clearly' tlie efficacy of successful vaccination in protecting the individual against a most dreadful aud loathsome disease. While the smallpox in ilia Maori epidemic of 1912 was comparatively mild and-.innocuous, in: this latter manifestation- it had--reverted to the ■type which long ago caused it. to-be regarded asy.ohe-of.the. scourges-of mankind. Out of a total-of four-cases from the Willochra two died, while a third was critically ill for several weeks, and then made a slow and tedious convalescence. These three cases were all •of the type kniiwn as "confluent," and were characterised by. a., very .extensive skin-eruption and a profound toxaemia. None ot them had been successfully vaccinated at any time, either in childhood or in- adult life, ■ consequently the disease ran its ordinary severe course uninfluenced in any way. The fourth pase which shows up in marked contrast'to the three just mentioned was that of a man aged thirty, who had been successfully vaccinated as a child. He had a very mild attack of "discrete" smallpox, the skin eruption was not extensive, and his symptoms were. few. He was feverish for only three days, and .thereafter entered un his stage o'f convalescence, making a rapid and uneventful -recovery. Here the effect of the old vaccination is noticeable, and while not altogether immune, owing to the time which had elapsed since the vaccination, yet he was afforded a very considerable degree of protection. and was affected by, the disease in an appreciably modified form. As evidence' that vaccination - -affords absolute protection against smallpox is the fact that of the five people in constant' attendance "upon these. patients not one acquired the disease, although living continually in an atmosphere and amongst surroundings which- were absolutely impregnated with the • contagion of the disease. These -lye people were all protected, "one, it is interesting to note, by a. former attack of smallpox when a child, the remaining four .bv re-cent-successful vaccination. They adopted no special precautions to .safeguard themselves, being- confident tliafc they were absolutely .immune against- the disease, and such proved to be the case. These observations,- then,, confirm thft claims that have been made in favour of vaccination(l) Recent successful vaccination is ?n absolute protection.against smallpox. H) Successful' vaccination in the past will afford some degree, of protection. depending on-time -which Itaa elapsed since the vaccination, was per.formed. •. -." •"■"•'■■