HOME HEALTH GLIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 October 1942, Page 5

HOME HEALTH GLIDE

THE DIPHTHERIA MENACE.

ARTIFICIAL PROTECTION AVAILABLE,

(By the Health Department). Though there has been an agreeable decline in the incidence of diphtheria in New Zealand in recent years, its frequency among young children is still far too high. Ignorance of the fact that children can receive free artificial protection against it, coupled with an unreasoning objection on the part of some parents, tire the two main obstacles in the way of a totally clean sheet. The protection, which is by way of injection of formoltoxoid (a non-animal serum), is available at preschool clinics and at schools.

Diphtheria protection is accepted all over the world. In some countries it is compulsory between the ages of one and ten years. In New Zealand it is still voluntary. Any time after six months a baby may be protected. In fact, the younger the child the better, because reactions and upsets are rare. All children should be protected before they are two years of age. Up to that age the injections give no trouble. They are perfectly safe. Reactions increase with age. Diphtheria strikes at children under 15 years of age, and the younger the child the more serious is the effect. Recent figures showed that in New Zealand the fatality rate was nearly 20 per cent where the patients were under a year; 7.5 per cent between one and five years; and only 1.7 per cent between 10 and 15 years. It has been shown that the majority of children in this country fail to build up their own protection against diphtheria, and have to be assisted 'artificially. Diphtheria is a deadly disease. Delay in diagnosis and treatment may be fatal. A sore throat is always suspicious. If the throat is pearl-grey in colour, and there is fever and vomiting, call the doctor at once.