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35
SCARLET FEVER.
332 (civil) patients were notified in 1918 as suffering frrm scarlet fever. Of
these 43 were afterwards found not to be suffering from the disease by
Medical Superintendents of the Metropolitan Asylums Board.
The corrected number of scarlet fever cases (civil) notified was therefore
289, equal to an incidence rate of 1.64 per 1,000 civil population.
The number of deaths from scarlet fever certified during the year was 7,
equal to a death-rate of 0.04 per 1,000 civil population, and a case mortality
of 2.4 per cent. of cases notified.
Other statistical facts will be found on pages 15-17.
Of the notified cases of scarlet fever, 318 (or 95.8 per ccnt.) were removed
to hospital, as follows:—
To Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospitals 318
To other hospitals—
318
Return Cases. —(Definition: A case of scarlet fever occurring within 28
days of the return from hospital to the same house of a previous case of
scarlet fever). There were 10 such cases in 1918 occurring in 9 houses. In
7 instances the return case was in the same family as the (?) infecting case,
and in two instances (3 cases) in a different family in the same house. Id 7
instances the (?) infecting case had rhinitis or nasal discharge following upon
the return from hospital, and in two instances showed no discharges or other
sign of infectiousness. The intervals between the return of the (?) infecting
ease and the onset of the illness of the return case were respectively 2, 6, 9,
11, 17, 18, 2G, and 28 days. In the instance in which there were two cases
of scarlet fever following the return of a previous case, the first return case
occurred within 12 days, and the second within 18 days of the return of the
first case (in a different family in the same house which showed rhinitis—
negative swab—and was readmitted to hospital. In the family where these
two return cases of scarlet fever occurred there were also two cases of
diphtheria, which began 20 and 22 days respectively after the return of the
case of scarlet fever in the other family.
There was in addition a case of scarlet fever occurring 7 weeks after the
return from hospital to the same family of a previous case, which showed no
signs of infectiousness.
There were also two houses where cases of scarlet fever occurred after the
return from hospital of a case of diphtheria to the same family. The intervals
were 8 and 5 days respectively. In one instance the earlier case showed
purulent rhinitis (positive swab), and in the other no discharges or other sign
of infectiousness. In the latter instance there were two simultaneous return
cases of scarlet fever.
On page 35 will be found a reference to after-care work amongst scarlet
fever and diphtheria cases.