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19
Notification of Infectious Diseases.
In my last report I referred to the question of the compulsory
notification of infectious diseases ; during the year
public attention has been much directed towards this matter,
and public opinion has undoubtedly grown in favour of such
a coarse. It is from time to time necessary for the purpose
of discovering the cause of an outbreak of disease to obtain
information on certain points with regard to every case of
the disease in a district; where, however, the intention of
-obtaining knowledge of the existence of cases is limited to
ensuring the proper isolation of infectious persons, it may be
assumed that the action of the Sanitary Authority will be
chiefly needed where the sick person is dwelling in a house
occupied by many persons, or which is let out in lodgings.
Under these circumstances if the extension of disease is
to be limited, I believe it to be a matter of the greatest importance
that early notice of the existence of the case should
be given to the Sanitary Authority, seeing the difficulties
which so frequently stand in the way of the proper isolation
of infectious persons in these houses.
Now the Yestry under Section 47 of the Sanitary Laws
Amendment Act of 1874 already possess powers to compel
the notification to the Sanitary Authority of all cases of
dangerous infectious disease occurring in houses let in
lodgings.
The provisions of this clause cannot be put in force without
making other regulations under the 35th Section of the
Sanitary Act, 1866, concerning the condition of these houses.
There is, of course, less necessity for the Yestry to make these
regulations apply equally in our district to some houses let in
lodgings as to others, but it would be well if they were in
force for the poorest class of house which is let out in unfurfurnished
tenements, and is occupicd by many families.
I do not think the Vestry could do better than begin by
exercising the powers they already possess, aud compel notice
of cases of infectious disease occurring under these conditions
to be given to the Sanitary Authority. If, in the future as
seems probable, an Act were to come into existence making the
notification of cases in houses of all classes compulsory, the
Yestry would be far better able to undertake its new duties,
and would know how it could best apply its increased powers,
to the advantage of the community. It is in the poorest and
most crowded houses that the first cases of an outbreak of
infectious disease often occur, and therefore by a knowlege
of those cases the amount of prevalence of this class of disease
in the whole district would be much under control.