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13
Disinfection and Diainfestation
A summary of the routine work of the disinfecting staff
is shown in the following table :-
Houses disinfected after infectious disease 369 ( 552 rooms)
Houses disinfested after vermin 556 (1528 rooms)
Loads of furniture treated with hydrogen
cyanide 23
Total weight of furniture, bedding, etc. dealt with
42 tons 11 cwt. 0 qtr. 22 lb.
It is the practice of certain foreign countries to
prohibit the import of parcels of clothing, unless accompanied
with a certificate that the articles have been disinfected.
The Council afford facilities to persons desirous of sending
clothing abroad, but make a charge of 2/6d. for each
certificate provided. During the year 1+63 parcels of clothing
were disinfected and the income amounted to £57. 17s. 6d.
The following table indicates the destination of these parcels
No. of parcels
Czechoslovakia 160
Russia 19
Hungary 14
Ireland 1
Esthonia 1
Unknown 268
+ All these parcels were dealt with by one Kensington
firm of exporters.
Some countries allow the import of clothing if accompanied
by a certificate stating that no case of infectious disease
has occurred at the sender's address within twenty-one days
prior to mailing. During the year, sixteen such certificates
were issued.
H.C.N. Disinfestation
For many years, the Council adopted the policy of
disinfesting with H.C.N, the furniture and household effects of
all tenants moving to new Council property, as a method of
preventing bed bugs being taken from old houses into the new
dwellings.
There has been considerable reduction in the number of bug
infested houses in the borough, no doubt due to the introduction
of new and effective insecticides such as D.D.T, and, from the
beginning of 1954, the Council decided to discontinue the policy
of treating the furniture of all incoming tenants, irrespective
of whether there was evidence of infestation or not, and substitute
the following scheme
(a) A sanitary inspector examines the furniture
and home of each prospective tenant;
(b) If bug infestation is present, the furniture
is dealt with by H.C.N, at the Disinfecting Station.
(c) If no infestation is apparent, no action is
taken in regard to the furniture, but the walls and
ducts of new flats are treated with D.D.T. or
Gammaxane smoke preparations.