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8
Home Conditions.
When a case of infectious disease is notified the home is
visited by the health visitor, or by the sanitary inspector in certain
cases, e.g., food poisoning, enteric fever, dysentery, or smallpox.
Advice is given as to isolation, disinfection, and home nursing,
in order to help prevent spread to others in the household. An
attempt is also made to identify the source of infection and remove
it where possible.
Early Diagnosis.
Since these diseases are as a rule most infective in the early
stages, it is of prime importance that parents should put children
to bed as soon as they appear "off colour" and call in their own
family practitioner. It is most unwise to take a child with a
rash or a spasmodic cough to a health clinic or doctor's surgery,
where there is a risk of infecting others.
The family doctor may in doubtful cases call in a consultant
from Neasden Isolation Hospital.
As part of the health education campaign topical leaflets are
distributed through the Town Hall and the Public Libraries when
any infectious disease is prevalent.
Leaflets describing the essential points of home nursing of
persons suffering from infectious conditions and advice as to disinfection
are provided when necessary.
Routes of Spread.
The infectious diseases are caused by living organisms which
pass from one person to another.
There are two main routes of transmission depending on the
main habitat of germs in the body, i.e., the bowels and upper respiratory
tract (the nose and throat).
The diarrhoeal diseases (enteric fever, dysentery, food poisoning
and possibly poliomyelitis) are spread by contamination of food
from the bowel, either by inadequate hand washing after the toilet,
or by flies or vermin.
The respiratory diseases are spread chiefly by droplets sprayed
out when blowing the nose. "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases,"
especially when a handkerchief is not used; and if used, not
frequently changed.
Insect borne diseases and water borne diseases are now of
comparatively minor importance in this country, but constant
supervision by the sanitary engineers is essential to prevent any
recurrence of the mass outbreaks of previous decades.