View report page

37
1920
The earliest school to be affected was Acton Wells Infants'.
Sporadic cases occurred in this Department throughout the early
part of the year, and continued to September, but at no time did
the disease assume serious proportions. One case each was notified
in the four months May, June, August, and September, but no cases
occurred in July and October.
It was in the Autumn that the outbreak assumed serious
proportions; the outbreak was characterised by the severity
of the type of the disease. Most districts in London and the extrametropolitan
area, suffered in a similar manner. From enquiries
made, the disease in neighbouring areas was very similar in type
to that which occurred in this district. The increase in the number
of cases was not much greater than the usual autumnal rise might
have led us to expect.
In the first week after the re-opening of the schools after
the summer holidays, 3 cases were reported amongst the children
attending the Infants' Department of the Beaumont Park Schools,
but the outbreak subsided here suddenly, and only one case was
notified in September and one in October.
It is possible, and even probable, that the 3 cases were
infected in school. The school re-opened on Tuesday, and the
initial symptoms appeared on Friday or Saturday. There was
no history of a previous illness in the families of the children affected.
On August 30th, one case was reported amongst the children
attending the Infants' Department of the Southfield Road Schools,
but nearly a month elapsed before further cases occurred.

As the Council is aware, all the home contacts attending
school are bacteriologically examined before they resume school
attendance. Of the 30 contacts examined in October, 9 were found
to have the germs of diphtheria in their throats. In none of these
children clinical symptoms of diphtheria had appeared.
These children were diphtheria carriers, and their treatment
is always a source of interest and anxiety.