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51
of Health where disinfection cannot be carried out in
the home, when the present practice will be followed,
in future all terminal fumigation and removal of bedding
and other articles for stoving after the commoner notifiable
infection be abandoned, and that the householders
be instructed as to the precautionary measures to be
taken.
(b) That, where householders still require the present routine
to be followed, a charge be made on the scale at present
in operation for any disinfection carried out after nonnotifiable
infections, namely:—
s. d.
Fumigation of room 7 6
Stoving of Bedding:—
First load 10 0
Subsequent loads 5 0 each
(c) That disinfectant be supplied free, on application, to
householders where infectious disease has occurred.
During the year 263 rooms were fumigated, 202 following
notifiable infectious diseases, 45 for non-notifiable infectious
diseases, and 16 for other reasons. 316 loads were removed for
stoving, 204 following infectious diseases, and 112 for other
conditions.
DIPHTHERIA.
Incidence.
There were only 85 cases of diphtheria notified during the
year, being a rate per thousand population of 0.58 compared with
the figure of 1.60 for the country as a whole. This is the sixth
consecutive year in which a low incidence has prevailed.
Nearly one half of the cases occurred in the first two months of
the year. In only one week subsequent to this were as many
as three notifications received, while no cases at all were notified
for a number of weeks.
The relatively high incidence of the earlier weeks was due
largely to the occurrence of a number of cases at a residential
hoys' school.
59 of the cases were admitted to the Rayners Lane Hospital,
four were treated at home and 29 removed to outside hospitals.
Some of these removals were due to the fact that a diagnosis of
diphtheria had been made on a patient attending as an out-patient
at a hospital outside the district. Most, however, were due to a
failure to admit them to the local hospital owing to shortage of
accommodation in the earlier weeks of the year when most cases
occurred. A few were admitted to outside hospitals owing to the
patients suffering from a double infection. As there are no
detached cubicles at the Rayners Lane Hospital such patients could
not be admitted.