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47
Infectious diseases in schools.
The numbers of cases of infectious illness reported by head teachers as occurring
among school children during 1933, compared with similar figures reported during the
preceding five years, are shown below:—
Year.
Diphtheria.
Scarlet
fever.
Measles
and
German
measles.
Whooping
cough.
Chicken
pox.
Mumps.
Scabies.
Ophthalmia.
1928
5,178
7,505
41,891
8,592
13,657
5,744
901
408
1929
5,081
7,462
19,313
12,076
12,346
14,010
932
644
1930
5,297
7,558
34,251
3,239
13,573
9,439
930
506
1931
3,202
5,626
3,811
9,019
13,598
5,685
1,068
889
1932
3,338
6,832
34,922
7,624
11,440
8,016
1,160
649
1933
4,446
11,357
14,130
8,373
10,863
9,591
1,091
427
The number of cases of smallpox notified (and confirmed) among school children
during the year was 170, compared with 419 in 1932. A special reference to the
cases of ringworm found in the schools appears later in this section of the
report.
Apart from the exclusion of home contacts, the control of infectious diseases in
the Council's schools is based on a system of surveillance which is exercised by
the teaching staffs and the medical and nursing staffs of the school medical service,
the object being to exclude children showing any signs of the onset of illness,
and, as far as possible, to ensure that sources of infection are eliminated from the
school population.
As stated in previous annual reports and in the special report on the last measles
epidemic, the closure of school departments or the exclusion of " unprotected "
children as preventives against the spread of measles were tried in London many
years ago ; but, as these measures had no effect on the incidence of the disease, they
were abandoned. In the same way, the closure of schools would serve no useful
purpose in the control of infectious diseases, such as scarlet fever, diphtheria,
chickenpox, whooping-cough and mumps, which occur commonly amongst the
child population of London. In fact, if schools were closed on account of the
occurrence of infectious diseases, the children would lose the benefit of the
supervision which is exercised during the time the schools are open.
The following table gives information regarding the schools specially visited
by the school medical staff during the year:—
Division.
Diphtheria.
Scarlet fever.
Smallpox.
Number
of
visits.
Number
of depts.
visited.
Number
of children
examined.
Number
of
visits.
Number
of depts.
visited.
Number
of children
examined.
Number
of
visits.
Number
of children
examined.
N.E.
38
27
4,361
67
58
9,670
27
6,959
N.
26
23
2,495
58
46
6,537
2
672
N.W.
26
21
2,299
36
31
4,137
—
—
S.W.
26
23
3,082
100
78
13,424
9
2,863
S.E.
37
33
3,203
96
71
11,898
—
—
Total
153
127
15,440
357
284
45,666
38
10,494
The children in five schools were also specially examined from time to time on
account of outbreaks of ophthalmia (3 schools), and trachoma (2 schools).
In addition to investigations by medical officers, valuable work was done by
the school nursing staff in following up the medical officers' visits in connection with
the occurrence of scarlet fever, diphtheria, smallpox, ophthalmia and trachoma, as
well as in the special visitation of the schools where there were outbreaks of whoopingcough
and chickenpox, mumps, measles, German measles and influenza.
The school medical staff conducted 153 investigations into the occurrence of
diphtheria in 127 school departments, and, of the 4,722 children examined by throat
and/or nose culture, 268 yielded bacilli (K.L.B.) morphologically resembling
D1
Diphtherial.