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a satisfactory arrangement and there has been an average attendance of 16 patients
at each of the two weekly sessions held. Treatment by injection is a more popular
form of therapy with Indians than it is with Europeans.
SCHOOL HEALTH
The immigrant school child population of the whole Borough at the end of the
year was as follows:
Total school population 38,706
Total immigrant children 5,054
Indians and Pakistanis 2,670
West Indians 1,439
Others 945
The immigrant school child population produces a variety of problems, and
solving these is made harder by the fact that their parents do not usually attend
routine medical inspections. This is especially the case where in order to avoid a high
concentration in any one school the children are dispersed at considerable distance
from their homes. A random sample taken from two schools in Southall revealed that
for Asian children only 45% of the parents were present compared with 93% of other
children. In three schools in Northolt and Acton only 5% of the parents of Asian
children attended compared with 72% of parents of other children. In order to overcome
this difficulty some experimental routine medical inspection sessions for 'dispersed'
children in reception classes are planned to be held at Northcote Clinic. This will
have the added advantage of enabling an interpreter to be present, which would not
be possible with examinations taking place at various widely scattered schools.
Routine medical inspection of these children since the amalgamation has not
shown anything untoward, but there is a need to make specific surveys to verify that
this is indeed the case.
Immigrant parents are usually keen to ensure that their children miss as little
school as possible, and it is sometimes difficult to dissuade them from sending
children to school when they are unwell, or from returning them to school before they
have completely recovered from an illness.
There is difficulty too in convincing parents that infestations require to be
taken seriously, and that children should remain at home until they have been cleared.
A survey in a small number of schools during the year indicated that the immigrant
school population does have a higher rate of infestation than the indigenous, (1.29%
compared with .54%). It must be borne in mind however that a level in excess of that
at present found amongst the immigrants, was general not so many years ago, and I
see no reason why within a short time there should not be a universal low incidence.
As part of the Council's tuberculosis prevention service all immigrant
children are Heaf tested on admission to school. There is a high number of positive
reactors amongst them which means one of three things; either that they have been
immunised against tuberculosis - a common practice in India and Pakistan, or that
they have been in contact with tuberculosis, or that they have themselves suffered
from the disease. It is difficult to ascertain whether past immunisation is the cause,
due to language difficulty and therefore positive reactors are referred to the
chest clinic for investigation. The figures for the year are as follows:
53