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measles is handicapped by our limited staff of Health
Visitors. Our five Health Visitors are in normal
times fully employed in dealing with Maternity and
Child Welfare work, and with the few cases of measles
which occur. It follows therefore that in times of
measles epidemics, even though the cases over 5 years
of age are visited by the female sanitary inspector, a
certain amount of the child welfare work has to be
sacrificed in order that the health visitors may pay
even one visit to each of the notified cases of measles.
Any subsequent following up of cases, except those
that are found on the first visit to be extremely ill, is
out of the question, and undoubtedly it is badly required.
It should be added that early in 1924 the
Council appointed an additional temporary Health
Visitor for measles purposes, and that this added greatly
to the general efficiency of the work. It seems deplorable
that a disease which causes so many deaths (there
were 13 in Fulham in the month of December alone)
should be regarded so lightly by the majority of
parents. Not only does measles cause death, but it
is also in many cases the starting point for various
forms of subsequent ill-health. Tuberculosis, ear,
nose and throat affections, sub-acute bronchitis,
anaemia and general delicacy are only too often the
aftermath of a neglected case of measles.
Measles is in every respect at the present time a
much more dangerous disease than either scarlet fever
or diphtheria, both of which are regarded with apprehension,
the greatest care being bestowed on children
so suffering. Measles is looked upon as an every-day
occurrence and worthy of as little attention as can
reasonably be given to the sufferers. By making
measles a notifiable disease, and therefore bringing
to bear upon it the clauses of the Public Health (London)
Act relating to infectious disease, a step has undoubtedly
been taken towards making the man in
the street realise that this disease is as serious and as
worthy of care as the other diseases which are notifiable.
I do not wish here to enter into a discussion as to the
merits or demerits of the Notification of measles.