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DIPHTHERIA IMMUNITY IN VICTORIA
Author(s) -
Forsell Peter
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1972.tb108065.x
Subject(s) - immunity , diphtheria , immunization , medicine , demography , immunology , vaccination , immune system , sociology
A survey of diphtheria immunity in Victoria carried out by means of the Schick test in all age groups has shown a considerable difference in immunity between State school children and private school children and a very high proportion of nonimmune adults. The proportion of Schick‐positive persons varies from an average of 9% in children to almost 60% in the age group 40 to 49 years and drops again to 30% in the elderly. Comparisons of immunity are made between rural and urban populations and between those born in Australia and overseas. The immunization histories of those tested have been evaluated, compared and related to the test results. The implications of this rather alarming lack of immunity are discussed.