View report page

was excluded until visited by a member of the Public Health Staff,
and every child who had been absent for two consecutive days or
longer was also examined. The school was not closed, but every
child who was absent during the ensuing months was seen by the
Public Health Staff or by a private doctor before being permitted
to return. As a result of these measures, seven very mild cases were
discovered ; in several instances the children were quite well but
showed very slight degrees of muscular weakness and gave a history
of feverish attacks with headache and weakness during the previous
fortnight. An isolated case occurred in an infant in another part of
the district on November 18th, and this proved to be the last case.
The mild cases were isolated at home for a month from the date of
onset and were thereafter examined by the Orthopaedic Surgeon,
who confirmed the existence of slight muscular weakness in every
case and prescribed the appropriate treatment where necessary.
The total number of cases notified during the outbreak was ten,
and of these three were severe and seven mild. The severe cases
were removed to hospital.
It is only by the careful examination of all cases of illness
occurring among children when the presence of the disease has
declared itself, and by the close supervision of contacts of all
known cases that any effective control can be established ; and
in this connection the whole-hearted co-operation of the medical
practitioners in the district—such as was given to the Public Health
Department in the outbreaks recorded—is of the greatest possible
value.