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The eradication of this disease depends upon the treatment of the
family as a unit, it being essential for contacts to be given preventive
treatment at the same time as the cases who show symptoms. With the
full co-operation of the family the disease can be rapidly and completely
cured.
It is necessary, however, for the Department to become aware of
these cases as they occur, and in this respect the co-operation of all
doctors, nurses, chemists and the general public is needed. There has
been observed an increasing tendency for cases to be supplied with
benzyl benzoate in various forms with inadequate instructions as to its
use or advice on the necessity for contacts being treated. The results
are not only unnecessary expense to the family as a result of secondary
cases occurring over a prolonged period but cases are likely to be treated
excessively, with resultant secondary symptoms. It should be more
generally known that symptoms in a new case frequently do not appear
until five weeks after infection has occurred, hence the disease can spread
from person to person for an indefinite period unless concerted preventive
action is taken.
(b) Vermin.
The number of cases of infestation with body vermin discovered
during the year continued to be very small and almost all cases found by
the School Nurses were of head lice. Apart from casual infestations
there are just a few families in which it has been found difficult permanently
to eradicate head lice, the position being complicated in most
cases by physical or mental defects, usually of the mother.
Since the war the Council has supplied Sacker's combs to persons
found to have been infested, usually at full cost though repayable by
instalments, and in recent years ''Lethane Special'' has also been given
free of cost, together with advice on the measures to be taken. Where
necessary the Medical Officer of Health has visited personally and encouraged
the treatment of the whole family as a unit.
THE CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
The usual measures have been taken during the war years in an
attempt to limit the spread of infectious diseases, including health propaganda
adapted to war-time problems. As previously stated, in one
outbreak of scarlet fever prophylactic use of sulphonamides was made
with apparently some degree of success. Similarly penicillin lozenges
have been tried recently on a small scale.
The use of preventive inoculations has been limited to those aiming
to prevent typhoid and paratyphoid fevers at the mental hospitals, to
the supply of immune globulin for use by general practitioners in special
cases in whom it is particularly important to avoid or minimise attacks
of measles, and to immunisation against diphtheria referred to below.
Unfortunately it has not been possible to collect evidence on the
effectiveness of the measures against measles and it is now impracticable
to supply immune globulin.
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