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20
SECTION B.
GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES
FOR THE AREA.
DISINFECTION AND DISINFESTATION.
Routine disinfection, after cases of infectious diseases, is now
largely a thing of the past. With such diseases as measles and
scarlet fever any disinfection can safely be left to the householder,
and only in exceptional cases or when special application is made,
does the department carry out the work.
With more serious infection, the operation is carried out by the
department. Rooms and their contents are sprayed with a formaldehyde
solution and bedding, which cannot be boiled, is removed
to the Main Road, Sidcup Depot, where it is subjected to steam
under pressure, before being used again. Public Library books,
which have been in contact with patients, are treated in a formalin
chamber, before they are permitted to return to circulation.
The eradiction of certain types of parasitic vermin is undertaken
by the Department. Principal amongst these is the bed bug
(Cimex Lectularius). This was a common pest and was notoriously
difficult to eradicate until the post-war period when the residual
type of insecticide became available. Nowadays, infested rooms
and their contents are sprayed with a solution containing D.D.T.
together with a quick acting agent. Bedding is still dealt with by
steam disinfection.
The advanced state of hygiene generally observed in this
country and the availability of these sprays, has led to a dramatic
decrease in vermin infestation. Some insects have acquired an
immunity to particular insecticides and the position still requires
watching.