View report page

54
MEASLES.
As this is not a notifiable disease we can only gauge its
prevalence and degree of severity by means of the death returns
and school returns. Including; both intra and extra-parochial
returns there were 43 deaths attributed to Measles during the
year, giving a death rate of 0.44 per 1,000. The London death
rate for Measles for 1907 was 0-38 per 1,000, there being 1801
deaths from that causc as ag'ainst 1910 in 1906. It is probable
that these figures do not fully indicate the destruction of life due
to Measles, for this disease is often complicated1 with bronchitis
or other respiratory disease, and hence some deaths due to
Measles are entered in the returns as due to bronchitis.
It may be pointed out that the remedy for this state of things
lies most largely in the hands of parents and others having the
care of children. There are certain reasons against the inclusion
of Measles under the notification clauses of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, and hospital provision for this disease is at
present impossible. Careful nursing of individual cases and
closure of Infants' Departments of schools during an outbreak,
coupled with disinfection when necessary, seem to be the best
methods of reducing the high death rate from this disease, which
mainly affects children under 5 years of agt.
It will be remembered that in 1903 new powers were granteA
to the Local Authority in respect of Measles, which was to be
treated as a "dangerous infectious disease." The disease was
not, however, made notifiable. We have during 1907 received
478 intimations of the occurrence of the disease as follows:-