View report page

9
TREATMENT AND BATHING
CENTRE
[Superintendent—Mr. T. Lloyd)
The overall figures of treatments for body vermin carried out
at the Centre during the year, show a slight decrease on last year's
figures; but the number of male persons requiring treatment has
increased by 12 per cent. The majority of these men are inmates of
Lodging Houses and Hostels and are sent to the Centre for treatment,
by the keepers of these establishments.
It would appear that a greater insistence on a reasonable standard
of personal cleanliness is now demanded from their "Lodgers", by
those in charge of lodging houses and hostels. Co-operation in this
commendable attitude is given by this Department and arrangements
are made for our transport to collect from the lodging house or
hostel for disinfestation, all bedding and effects of each person on the
day they attend for treatment.
A number of aged and infirm people, of both sexes, are regularly
conveyed to the Centre from their homes in our transport, treated
and returned home.
There has been a further considerable drop during the year in
the number of dwelling houses requiring disinfestation for the more
usual types of domestic insects, i.e. bed bugs and fleas ; but there
has been an increase in other types of insect infestation. Some
considerable infestations of wood-boring beetles (" Wharf borers "—
Nacerda melanura) and wood-boring weevils (Euophryum confine)
have been dealt with. The continued warm weather in the summer
months, resulted in some large scale invasions of houses and flats by
garden ants and Clover mites (Bryobia praetiosa). In one such
infestation, it was found necessary to have parts of the main wall
of a building opened-up to reach the ant nests.
Assistance was given by the Department to various commercial
undertakings in the Borough in dealing with infestations of Moths,
cockroaches and beetles.
Because of the greatly increased number of notifications of
suspected cases of infectious disease—in particular, Poliomyelitis—
the disinfection of both premises and articles carried out, was
considerably more than in recent years. In one School, the Nursery
Class was closed for a period and the class rooms and contents were
disinfected.
Infectious Disease Cases : Enquiries and Visits.
Total—573 as under :
Tuberculosis deaths and removals : 49
Scarlet Fever 189
Diphtheria 1
Poliomyelitis 87
Enteritis 9
Malaria 1
Food Poisoning 77
Erysipelas 13
Meningococcal infections 4
Dysentery (bacilliary) 142
„ (amoebic) 1