War Against Diphtheria

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 246, 7 January 1928, Page 1

War Against Diphtheria

HEALTH OFFICE IS ACTIVE SCHICK TEST AND ANTI-TOXIN Interesting observations on the efficacy of the Schick test as a preventive of diphtheria were made yesterday by Dr. H. Chesson, Medical Officer of Health at Auckland. He said that he was surprised to learn that although the test had been experimented with by the Dominion health authorities since 1922, it had only recently been introduced into New South Wales. This illustrated the progressive policy of the New Zealand Health Department. The test consists in injecting a few drops of the testing fluid into children’s forearms. In children not liable to diphtheria no reaction is evident, but in those susceptible to the disease a small pink spot develops within a few hours, and fades shortly. Such susceptible children are then protected by means of a mixture. Schick’s anti-toxin immunisation is the standard treatment in this country, said Dr. Chesson. The test had been abandoned after long trial, however, for general application, as it was found that so many children were susceptible to the disease that direct anti-toxin immunisation was found to be the better method. Injections of anti-toxin were carried out continuously among hundreds of children during the year, added the doctor, this work being part of the policy of protection against disease for which the Health Department existed.