Mass BCG Vaccination in Poland 1948-1949, with Special Reference to Statistics on Tuberculin Testing and BCG Vaccination.

Abstract

The statistical staff has done a very complete piece of work in reporting and analyzing the large amount of material collected during the BCG vaccination campaign in Poland. This is, up to the present, the most extensive program in any individual country that has participated in the international BCG campaign. Approximately 5,000,000 persons from the ages of 1 to 18 years were tuberculin tested. This number represents about 60% of the Polish population of that age group. Over 2,000,000 negative-reactors were vaccinated. The program was carried out under the joint auspices of the Polish Ministry of Health, the Danish Red Cross, the Norwegian Relief for Europe, the Swedish Red Cross, and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. The report is presented in four sections. In the first, the organization and management of the campaign is described. In the second, the variability, completeness, and reliability of the collected statistics is