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question of immunisation against scarlet fever, but have decided
to await the reports of recent investigations into the matter. At
the moment, the position is scarcely satisfactory, as the results of
the process as at present carried out are by no means certain or
even easy to estimate.
(c) Lectures.—Probationer nurses are now receiving a more
extensive course of lectures in preparation for their State Examination.
This course is of an even longer duration than that required
by the General Nursing Council, and embraces lectures by the
Matron, Mr. Hill and myself.
Cross-Infection.—Seven cases of chicken-pox occurred in the
hospital, following the admission of a patient to the scarlet fever
ward suffering from scarlet fever, but incubating the former
disease. Chicken-pox is particularly difficult to combat, by reason
of its long incubation period and high infectivity rate, together
with the fact that protective inoculation is not yet available.
Fortunately, although a decided nuisance, chicken-pox is not a
serious infectious disease, and it was scarcely even necessary to
detain any of the patients infected longer in hospital than would
normally have been the case.
One child incubating whooping-cough was admitted to the
diphtheria ward. As soon as the symptoms appeared, the patient
was removed from the ward, while all the remaining children
received a protective injection of whooping-cough vaccine. No
further cases occurred.
Return Cases.—Only one "return case," i.e.. a case of scarlet
fever occurring in a home within 28 days after the return to the
home of a case of that disease from the Isolation Hospital, occurred
among the 176 cases treated in hospital during the year. This
gives a Return Case Rate of 0.56 per cent. as against 0.55 per
cent. during 1936.
Transfers to and from other Hospitals.—The following
transfers occurred during the year:—
From the Prince of Wales's Hospital 11 cases
„ North Middlesex County Hospital 4 „
„ Enfield and Edmonton Isolation
Hospital 1 case
„ Jewish Home for Incurables 1 „
Total 17 cases
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