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1930] 36
could not be done by adding "chicken.pox" to the list in the section of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, but it was pointed out to the Ministry that as there
were special regulations for Diarrhœa under 2 years of age, Malaria and Tuberculosis,
made by Order under Section 113, it appeared feasible that an Order could
be made for the notification of specified cases of chicken.pox.
This was done, as chicken.pox, notified in the vaccinated child, is of no special
value when chicken.pox is being notified merely as a precautionary measure in
view of the prevalence of smallpox to enable most cases of smallpox to be
discovered.
The suggestions of the Medical Officer of Health were subsequently adopted
and the Islington (Chicken.pox) Regulations, 1930, dated March, 1930, were made
by the Minister of Health. These regulations came into operation on the 24th
March, 1930.
Notification by Parents or Guardians.
Every parent or guardian, or other person, as soon as he becomes aware,
or has reasonable grounds for supposing, that any person not under ten years
of age who is in his charge and who is resident within the district, or any
person under ten years of age who has not been vaccinated and who is in his
charge and resident within the district is suffering from chicken.pox shall,
unless the case has been already notified by a medical practitioner, forthwith
notify the case to the Medical Officer of Health, stating the name, age, and
address of the patient.
Notification by Medical Practitioner.
Subject to the provisions of these regulations, every medical practitioner,
as soon as he becomes aware that any person not under ten years of age who
is resident within the district, or any person under ten years of age who has
not been vaccinated and who is resident within the district, and upon whom
he is in professional attendance is suffering from chicken.pox, shall forthwith
make and sign a notification of the case in the form set forth in Schedule A
to the Public Health (Notification of Infectious Diseases) Regulations, 1918
(a), and shall transmit the notification to the Medical Officer of Health:
Provided that a medical practitioner shall not be required to notify a case
of chicken.pox under this article and shall not be paid a fee for so doing.
(a) if he has reasonable grounds for supposing that the case has already
been notified under these regulations ; or
(b) if the case is being treated in a hospital for infectious diseases.
Similar regulations have since been adopted by other Metropolitan Boroughs.
While these regulations do not preclude the notification of chicken.pox in an adult
protected within recent years by vaccination, nor strictly speaking force the notification
of chicken.pox in a child just a few days vaccinated, it was considered advisable
to make for simplicity and allow for some common sense on the part of the medical
attendant, parent or guardian, besides adults with alleged chicken.pox when smallpox
is prevalent are well known to be the cases amongst which " missed " cases
of smallpox are found, and worth seeing.
School supervision of contacts.. In Islington when smallpox occurs in
a household the school children are excluded from school for at least three days to
enable a thorough disinfection of the premises to be made and also because one
case having occurred, it may be that there are more than one person infected at or