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(f) Supervision of Home Conditions.
Minor adjustments were made during the year in the arrangements
for systematically supervising the home conditions. Early
in 1924 the following arrangements came into effect: —
(a) The district health visitor in whose district the patient lives
is responsible for reporting on the home conditions.
(b) The health visitor visits on receipt of notification of a case
—except where the medical practitioner notifying has requested
that no visit be paid—and obtains particulars as to the patient, the
home circumstances, the source of infection, and the names of any
other residents showing signs suggestive of the disease. The
patient is then in suitable cases seen at the dispensary, and steps are
taken by the Tuberculosis Officer to examine so far as possible, 'n
conjunction with the family doctor, the contacts showing suspicious
symptoms.
(c) At intervals not exceeding three months—and in special
cases at shorter intervals—the report card is automatically returned
to the health visitor for a re-visit, at which the health of patients
and contacts is ascertained, and advice given where required on the
following among other points: disposal of sputum; control of
cough ; disposal of curtains, ornaments, and other articles likely to
harbour dust; advice as to floor coverings; damp cleansing of
floors; sleeping arrangements; cleansing of handkerchiefs, bedlinen,
etc.; open-air conditions; measures to avoid " droplet "
infection of others.
Under the arrangements in force in 1923, 545 first visits, 173
unsuccessful visits with failure to obtain entry, and 1,595 subsequent
visits were paid by the health visitors then concerned—a total
of 2,313 visits,.as against 2,002 in 1922 and 1,674 in 1921.
In addition to the supervision exercised by health visitors, 169
visits were paid to the homes by the Tuberculosis Officer during the
year, as compared with 69 in 1922.
(g) Issue and Supervision of Shelters.
16 shelters are in regular use in various parts of the town. They
are used chiefly for patients who have undergone sanatorium treatment,
whose home conditions are such that additional accommodation
is needed to prevent risk of infection to others in the household.