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15
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
It was a year of low prevalence of most notifiable infections
nd apart from a brief period when special measures to control
bnn£ Dysentery in one area of New Aadington were imposed, routine
procedures only were required.
The welcomed diminution in serious illnesses does accentuate
the nuisance caused by outbreaks, particularly in schools, of
fthe milder diseases of childhood. I have commented in the School
wealth Report upon this question, which vexes parents and understandably
prompts requests for "quarantine" or "disinfection".
To hold the balance between doing too much and disrupting
lormal activities unduly and doing too little is not always easy.
The support of the Health Committee in such times is of great
lelp and allows reason rather than emotion to be the motivating
force.
We continue to have an occasional outbreak of epidemic nausea
and vomiting arising suddenly in one department of a school and
almost over before its presence is recognised. With each occurrence,
very careful enquiry is made to eliminate specific infections
spread by food or water, and Sonn£ Dysentery. The illness seems
to be a virus infection spread by droplets in the same manner as
the common cold and as in the case of this ailment, no technique
of prevention is yet known. The sufferers may be recovered in
24 hours, treatment is symptomatic and in many cases, hardly
necessary.
The usual tables are shown in the Appendix, page 90 , together
with the report kindly supplied by Dr. Linehan,giving the
clinical details regarding patients admitted to the Isolation
Hospital.