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48
Although the disease is no longer considered to be in an active
state, re-housing is recommended in order to prevent possible
recurrence of activity. The nation is spending great sums of money
on hospital and sanatorium treatment in the hope of converting
"active" into "quiescent" cases and finally arresting the disease
altogether ; but much of the effort is wasted if patients have to
leave the sanatorium in a "quiescent" state and return home to
the same conditions that gave rise to the disease when it first
became active. The quiescent patient on his return from sanatorium
is full of hope to resume his work and his part as a useful member
of the community, and I can think of no greater stimulus to his
rehabilitation, mental and physical, than the public provision of
housing accommodation in which he can practise the way of life
he has been enjoined to lead in the sanatorium.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.
Figures are quoted to show that in Leyton during the last
26 years there has been a progressive fall in the number of desths
from tuberculosis ; but no corresponding fall during recent years
in the number of persons suffering from the disease.
Among persons officially notified to be suffering from
tuberculosis there is wide variation in the degree of individual
infectivity according to the site and activity of the disease. Some
are capable of conveying the disease to those around them, and
some are not. The dangerous cases are those who cough up living
germs—known as " sputum positive ". In a recent survey of
sputum-positive cases in Leyton, 42.9 per cent, were found to be
sharing a bedroom and 38.8 per cent, a bed.
The success of any measure of control depends on the degree of
isolation of the infectious patient; but a patient cannot be
considered to be effectively isolated at home unless he sleeps by
himself.
Of all measures of prevention, the provision of adequate
housing accommodation is the most practicable.
Although the prevention of infectious disease is the responsibility
of the Public Health Committee, it cannot hope to carry out
established measures of control in respect of tuberculosis without
the active co-operation of the Housing Committee in the granting
of the highest possible priority in re-housing to residents suffering
from tuberculosis in an actively infectious form.