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148
Smallpo x
among school
children.
Whooping
cough.
Chicken pox.
Humps.
scarlet fever and diphtheria, and the use of Joyce Green M.A.B. Hospital for
convalescent scarlet fever in addition to the increased demands for bed accommodation
of smallpox cases, the number of cases of measles admitted to the Metropolitan
Asylums Board's hospitals did not reach expectations, consequently a large
number of children who should have been treated in hospital had to be nursed at
home.
As is fully explained in the Annual Report, 1928, the scheme of control has the
sole object of reducing mortality and mitigating the effects of measles and its
sequelae, every other tried method of control having failed to check epidemics of
measles.
The epidemic commenced at the expected time, about 500 cases a week being
reported by head teachers in December. The new scheme of control was put into
operation and applied to 64 schools before the Christmas holidays and to twice that
number at the commencement of the new term.
Of the 1909 cases of smallpox which were reported during the year, 726 were
school children. The number of the Council's schools involved was 190. The
number of cases in school children reported in 1928 was 110.
No vaccinated school child developed smallpox and generally the children
reported were suffering from the prevalent mild type of the disease. Only one boy
had virulent smallpox, and he died.
Whenever parents have requested in writing that facilities for vaccination
should be provided through the school organisation, the attendance of a public
vaccinator at school has been authorised. Applications for facilities were received
from 70 schools, and approximately 5,000 children were vaccinated at school by the
public vaccinators, all upon signed parental requests.
In the majority of cases children suffering from smallpox had not been in school
in an infectious condition ; but whenever there was a suspicion or evidence of the
possibility of infection in school, special investigation was made at the school to
discover the presence of any previously " missed " case and special supervision was
exercised to prevent any subsequent secondary cases being in attendance.
In view of the continued prevalence of smallpox, particularly in the East End
of London, and the fear of introducing cases of the disease into holiday resorts and
extra-metropolitan residential schools, it was decided that unvaccinated children
should not be sent under the auspices of the Council from infected areas to places
outside London. In order to ensure complete protection and to allow time for the
reaction to vaccination to subside before travel, the Council's rule now requires that
vaccination shall have been performed at least 14 days before the child's departure.
Since June, when this rule was made, no known case of smallpox has occurred in the
person of a child so travelling by permission of the Council or of any of the associations
who have adopted the principle of the Council's rule.
The number of cases of whooping cough reported from the schools was 12,076
as compared with 8,592 in 1928. The incidence in preceding years will be found on
page 144. The school nurses visited 15 schools where outbreaks occurred, for observation
and to advise head teachers.
In 1928 there was a considerable decrease in the number of cases of chicken-pox
reported from the schools, namely, 13,657 cases, as compaied with 17,358 in 1927.
The figures for 1929 show a further decrease to 12,346. Comparative numbers
for previous years appear in the table on page 144.
School nurses specially visited 50 schools where chickenpox was prevalent.
In the report for 1928 it was pointed out that mumps had been more prevalent
than usual during the preceding 5 years and the sudden decrease to 5,744 cases
reported in 1928 from 13,876 in 1927 was noted. Unfortunately, the number of
sufferers from mumps reported from schools in 1929 has risen again to 14,010. A
table on page 144 shows the figures for previous years.