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587
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM.
Two cases of this disease were notified during the year. Both
of the infants received hospital treatment, and their vision has
been maintained unimpaired.
THE SHELTER.
The Shelter is a provision which enables those who are in
occupation of one or two rooms only to obtain temporary accommodation
while those rooms are being disinfected after the occurrence
of infectious disease in one or more members of the family; it also
serves for the temporary isolation of an occasional individual who
has come in contact with dangerous infectious disease and who is
very likely to spread infection if he develops the disease.
The Shelter provision in Stoke Newington had been tor many
years of a very unsatisfactory nature, and, having regard to the
grave risks from Small-pox during 1923 the Council recognised
that better arrangements had become urgently necessary.
Accordingly two small shelter flats were provided in a sufficiently
isolated position, and these now constitute quite a model provision
of its kind for a small population.
It is regrettable that there is a very general public prejudice
against entering such shelters, except in the circumstance of a grave
epidemic. There are many cases each year in which it would be
our duty to take action to compel the use of the Shelter if we
possessed the necessary legal powers.
THE DISINFECTING AND CLEANSING STATION.
During the year ending December 31, 1925, the following
disinfecting and cleansing work was performed at the station:—
Total number of textile articles disinfected 11,253
Total number of books from Public Library disinfected 53
Total number of verminous persons cleansed 881
All the verminous persons cleansed were children of school age,
with the exception of one adult.