Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1934, Page 149

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As it was feared that a severe epidemic of diphtheria was breaking
out in Reykjavík, carly in the year 1935, the Health Authorities deci-
ded to start a widespread immunization with diptheria anatoxin. •
This report only deals with the preventive measures taken in the
public schools in Reykjavík.
A free immunization was granted to all the school-children, which
resulted in that as many as 90% of them were admitted.
Schick-tests performed previously showed that only 10,6% out of
2198 children aged 8—13 years, were Schick -f- .
The Schick -j- reactors were then immunized, usually by two injec-
tions at 3 weeks interval. The greater part received alum-toxoid, hut
about 500 were injected with Ramon’s anatoxin.
Reactions, fever and local tenderness, occured commonly although
not severe.
The children were re-tested 7—8 days after the immunization, and
the alum-toxoid was therebv shown to have been more effective than
the Ramon’s anatoxin.
Further it was shown that the children in this community appear
to be rather difficult to immunize, assumingly owing to the infre-
quence of previous contact with the diphtheria bacillus.
It is assumed, that the lack of natural stimuli in this community
(according to the results of the above mentioned Schick-tests) will
also shorten the duration of the immunity, acquired through natural
or artificial stimuli.
The immunizations seemed to bc successful in that the feared epi-
demic did not spread out.
5. Venereal diseascs. Notified cases of venereal diseases in the years
1925—1934 are as follows (cf. tables V, VI and VII, 1—3) :
1925 1920 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934
Gonorrhoea ............. 258 340 348 407 431 519 400 372 482 576
Syphilis ................ 31 32 34 21 13 29 21 50 37 30
Soft Chanerc ............. 8 5 5 3 12 15 3 1 7 2
6. Tuberculosis (all forms) (cf. tables V, VI, VIII and X).
1925 1920 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934
I'ulmonary .................... 725 586 771 737 538 407 440 440 -471 392
Non-pulmonary ................. 375 425 429 489 457 355 300 279 344 434
Total Numb. of Notified Cases .. 1100 1011 1200 1220 995 762 740 725 815 820
Deaths . ...................... 215 183 200 211 214 232 200 220 173 105
Deaths from tuberculosis may be classified as follows (last year’s
figures in round brackets): Pulmonary tuberculosis 108 (118), uni-
versal tuberculosis 7 (8), scrophulosis 1 (1), tuberculosis of bones
and joints 8 (5), meningeal tuberculosis 26 (24), abdominal tubcr-
eulosis 8 (14), tuberculosis of the urinary and generative organs 2
(1), other organs 5 (2).
In 1933 the number of deaths from tuberculosis suddenly dropped
f l'°m about and above 200, or about 2%„ of the whole population, which
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