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school or department on account of Measles lead to a recommendation
of school closure, and the replies were as follows:—
No fixed percentage 47
2 to 5 per cent. 2
5 to 10 per cent. 6
10 to 15 per cent. 10
15 to 20 per cent. 8
20 to 25 per cent. 3
25 to 30 per cent. 1
30 to 35 per cent. 7
35 to 40 per cent.0
40 to 45 per cent. 1
45 to 50 per cent. 1
50 per cent. 2
No replies 11
Tf information could be obtained of the earliest cases school
closure could then be resorted to with some prospect of success. To
attain this object, the information from the schools must be systematical,
and notification carefully made during inter-epidemic
periods as well as when epidemics of Measles prevail. Unfortunately,
there is no satisfactory system by which a teacher becomes aware of
the cause of the absence of a pupil. If a note is not received, he is
dependent on a hearsay report from any child who happens to live
near.
The question has been raised on another occasion as to the
desirability of adding measles to the Schedule of Notifiable Diseases.
The compulsory notification of Measles has, as yet. been tried in only
a few towns, and, I believe, that only two towns have published fully
the results of such notification. As early as 1881 the Corporation of
Aberdeen obtained powers for the compulsory notification of Measles.
Under the Aberdeen Local Act of 1881, notification by the medical
attendant only was required. After the passing of the Infectious
Disease Notification Act. 1889. the Town Council adopted it in 1891,
in order to obtain the advantage of dual notification, that is, by the
medical attendant and by the householder.