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98
Removal.
Thirty-two children were removed to hospital, approximately 22.0 per cent. as
opposed to 33 per cent. last year. Thirty-one were admitted to hospitals of the
M.A.B., 1 to the Holborn and Finsbury Hospital.
Spread of Infection.
There is much difficulty in getting parents to realise that the child of preschool
age must be sheltered from the risk of infection as much as the child
attending school. Parents realise that the school child is a potential focus of
infection for many other children, and should be guarded from infection; they fail
to realise that the pre-school child, although less likely to spread the disease, is
less able to resist the dangers of an attack; many parents state candidly that they
send children with whooping cough into the squares and streets during school
hours, when " there are no other children about."
Measles.
The notification of measles was discontinued at the end of 1919, but during
1923, I received information of 436 cases of measles. Of these 203 were notified
by school teachers, 36 by medical practitioners, information of 40 was given by the
Metropolitan Asylums Board, of 91 by the Health Visitors, 30 by parents, and
36 by the L.C.C. District Officer.
Ages.
9 were under 1 year
192 were between 1 and 5 years.
216 were between 5 and 16 years.
19 were over 16.
Contacts.
One hundred and fifty-two had no contacts, the L.C.C. definition of a contact
being used.
Two hundred and fifty-four had contacts. The number of contacts was 652,
of whom 342 were susceptible, 310 having already suffered from an attack.
No. of cases 91 74 44 16 i 11 13 6 9
and
No. of contacts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 or more
No. of cases 101 44 20 5 4 1 1 5
and
No. of susceptible 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 or more
contacts
Spread in Family.
The 436 cases occurred in 336 families. In 259 families 1 case occurred, in
56 families 2 cases occurred, in 19 families 3 cases occurred, and in 2 families 4
pases occurred,