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21
Allowing the usual time for the incubation of the disease, the period
extending from July 26th to August 29th may be represented as that
in which the effect of the school holidays operated. During these
5 weeks, 12 cases were notified, while in the ptevious 5 weeks,
43 notifications were received, and in the 5 subsequent weeks 62.
It is true that a large number of school children would be out of
the distiict during the holidays, but this fact alone is insufficient to
explain the sudden drop which occurred on the closure of the schools,
and the rise which occurred on their re-opening.
We are compelled to regard school attendance as one of the
factors in the spread of the disease. One mode in which school
attendance operates, is through the occurrence of "missed" cases,
and probably the "missed " case plays the most important role.
The distribution of the cases among school children was as
follows:—
Beaumont Park 91 Willesden Junction 4
Southfield Road 74 East Acton 3
South Acton 72 Roman Catholic 2
Priory 47 Haberdasher's 2
Central 19 County 1
St. Mary's 15 Private 12
Rothschild Road 13 Outside 4
During the earlier part of the year, the incidence of the disease
was heaviest on South Acton School, but after the summer holidays,
the schools that suffered most severely were Southfield Road,
Beaumont Park, Priory and South Acton.
In all these schools increased incidence was associated with the
occurrence of missed cases.
In South Acton, Beaumont Park and Southfield Road, missed
cases were found attending school. In South Acton a boy had been
ill since August 24th, but was not notified until September 8th.
Between August 25th and August 28th, he had attended schcol.
similarly in Beaumont Park a case was notfiied on October 5th, and
had been ill since Septe nber 17th, and had attended school up to
October 2nd,