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The number of infectious diseases notified during 1963 was
1,560 as against 188 last year. This was accounted for largely by
an increase in the number of cases of measles.
Our last notification of diphtheria was in 1947—16 years ago.
Notifications of whooping cough were 72.
The pattern of health problems developing today drives home
the importance of Health Education as a vital part of local authority
Health Services. Two important factors in health education are:—
(a) Impact on young people—and this must involve co-operation
between parents, teachers and medical staff and
(b) Timing.
(a) There have recently been produced some excellent films on
smoking and on sex education, and several of our Head Teachers
have expressed a wish that we should show these films in the schools.
As a preliminary to this, meetings have been arranged with parents
and staff. This affords the parents particularly an opportunity of
seeing the films and of discussing the appropriateness of their use in
the schools concerned. Obviously if the parents have full knowledge
of the instruction being given in school they will be in a much
stronger position to add their influence to that of the teachers and
the medical staff, and I hope that a greater measure of success may
be achieved.
(b) The advantage gained by timing in health education was
illustrated when, during the recent Aberdeen typhoid epidemic every
school in Southgate, secondary, junior and infants, was visited by a
Medical Officer, Health Visitor or Public Health Inspector and a
very brief but very downright talk given on the method of spread
of typhoid fever, which is the same as that in dysentery and poliomyelitis.
The importance of proper hand-washing after visiting
the toilet and before eating and preparing food was driven home.
In every case the children showed a lively interest and the
school staff were not only welcoming but very appreciative. At the
same time a display of posters, leaflets, etc., was staged in the Town
Hall.
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