View report page

Five "secondary" cases occurred in houses from which
previous cases had been notified. In three of these instances the
primary case had been removed to hospital. One "return" case
occurred. Two of the cases occurring during the year were
"imported," one from a holiday resort and one from a hospital
outside the district.
The incidence of the disease was once again spread fairly
evenly over the 12 months, the only peak being displayed in June,
following the occurrence of a restricted outbreak in a private school
in Winchmore Hill. (See page 35.)
As reported elsewhere in this Report, schools are visited upon
the reception of notification of multiple cases, particularly where
children of approximately the same age are affected. A search is
then made for missed cases and possible "carriers," swabs being
examined for the presence of hemolytic streptococci, and individual
exclusion being carried out where considered necessary.
It is again pleasant to report that the type of disease met with
was, on the whole, mild, no deaths taking place during the twelve
months.
Ninety-eight cases were removed to the Isolation Hospital,
representing 73.7 per cent. of the total number of cases notified.
During the course of the year, the following circular letter
was sent to all doctors practising in the district:—
"Admission of Scarlet Fever Cases to Hospital.
"Of late years, a very large proportion of the cases of
scarlet fever notified within the Borough of Southgate have
been admitted to the Isolation Hospital, the percentage being
usually in the neighbourhood of 90 or over. The admission of
such a large percentage of scarlet fever cases to hospital is not
entirely in accordance with modern Public Health teaching,
more especially when the general type of population met with
in Southgate is taken into consideration.
"It has been proved that the hospitalisation of such cases
does not in any way reduce the incidence of the disease, while
the risk of cross-infection and minor complications such as
rhinorrhoea, adenitis, secondary rashes, impetiginous eruptions,
etc., is considerably increased. This is due to the fact
that scarlet fever may be caused by a variety of streptococci,
59