London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Willesden 1904
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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The following are some of the more common dangerous infectious diseases, and are given along with their periods of incubation, quarantine, and infectiousness :—
| Incubation Period | Period of quarantine required after the latest exposure to infection. | Period of Infection ceases. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Diphtheria | 2 to 10 days | 12 days | In not less than 4 weeks if no discharges, and if bacteriological examination of nose and throat be negative. |
| *Scarlet Fever | 1 to 8 days— usually 3 to 5 days | 10 days | When desquamation and sore throat and albuminuria disappear, but never in less than 6 weeks. |
| *Small Pox | 12 to 14 days | 16 days | When every scab has dis-appeared. |
| *Typhoid Fever | 7 to 21 days— usually to 14 | 23 day8 | |
| •Typhus | 5 to 14—very variable | 14 days | After 4 weeks. |
| Whooping Cough | 7 to 14 days | 21 days | In 5 weeks from the commencement, provided all characteristic spasmodic cough and whooping have ceased for at least 2 weeks. |
| Measles | 10 to 14 days | 16 days | In not less than 2 weeks from appearance of rash. |
* Notifiable Diseases.
The period of infectiousness usually extends beyond the
minimum given, and in all cases should be decided by the medical
attendant. The period of incubation means the interval between
the time of exposure to infection and the development of symptoms
in the person infected. The period of quarantine is the time after
the last exposure to infection during which contacts of the patient
who have not previously suffered from the disease, usually other
children in the family, should refrain from mixing with other
susceptible persons. During this time they should attend neither
day nor Sunday schools.
Medical Officer of Health.