View report page

31
Deaths from Measles.—The year 1911 was a very bad one so far as measles
was concerned, and an exceptionally large number of deaths, viz., 64, were certified
as from this cause. In 1910 the number was 27.
Table III (page 92), in which the deaths are arranged according to age, shows
that with the exception of 2, all took place amongst children under 5 years of age, and
that more than half of those who died were in the second year of life.
Of 12 who died before the end of the first year was reached, 1 only was under
1 month old, 3 were between 6 and 9 months, and 8 between 9 and 12 months of age.
As indicated in previous reports this is a common experience and teaches that the
ages at which protection from infection is required are those included in the first
quinquennium.
Death in the majority of cases took place not during the height of the fever but
later and resulted from one or the other of the lung complications which are so apt to
follow measles.
In measles, no less than the other infectious diseases, it is immensely important to
protect the patient during the fever and the convalescent stage. The common
tendency is to regard measles as a complaint of little or no seriousness, and to permit
the infected person all sorts of liberties almost before the rash has disappeared.
The parents who allow children to expose themselves at all while suffering from
measles have usually only one excuse, and that is ignorance of what the disease
really is. A considerable part of the work of the Council's women inspectors consists of
visiting houses, in which cases of measles are reported to exist and of trying to dispel
the ignorance as to the seriousness of the trouble.
Special leaflets have been prepared setting forth various facts with regard to the
disease, and these are distributed by the inspectors.
In a considerable number of cases disinfection of rooms, bedding, &c., is carried
out.
Isolation of measles. Measles not being a notifiable disease, no definite arrangements,
up till quite recently, were made for the isolation of the infected. One of the
reasons for making no provision was undoubtedly the large amount of accommodation
which would have to be set aside, having regard to the extent of the outbreaks which
usually occur.
On May 30th, 1911, however, the Local Government Board, having taken the
matter seriously into consideration, issued an order as to the reception of non-pauper
cases into the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board. This made it possible
for isolation to be provided otherwise than as a form of relief. The only condition
precedent to admission which was made, was, that the Medical Officer of Health