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84
NECESSITOUS CASES.
The School Welfare Officer reports that during the year
there were 56 applications for clothing in respect of 90 children
of school age. The total cost involved was £230 8s. 6½d.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN SCHOOL.
During the latter half of the year there was a minor outbreak
of Scarlet Fever (Scarlatina) at Burnt Ash Primary School.
Fumigation of the school rooms and sterilisation of toys,
plasticine, etc., are of little use in controlling an outbreak of
this disease, which is usually spread by direct contact with a
case, i.e., a child suffering from the illness; from a case which,
although recovered, still harbours the germs, for example, in the
throat, nose, or in a discharging ear; or, finally, from a carrier
—a healthy person who has for some as yet unknown reason
picked up the germs without developing the disease.
With these facts in mind. Dr. Currie examined all children
who had been away from school during the previous month
suffering from fever or malaise. Forty-six children were seen,
and two were found to have "peeling hands." These are sometimes
called "missed cases," and occur most frequently when
the illness takes a very mild form. The two children were
immediately excluded, and one gave positive results when swabs
of the nose and throat were subsequently examined.
Of the remainder of the children, swabs were taken from
thirteen, and a further three positive results obtained; these
children were also excluded.
There has been only one further case in the school—one week
after this examination. This would indicate that the source of
the original spread of the disease had been detected and excluded
in time.
No cases of Diphtheria in children of school age were notified
during the year, and only two cases of Infantile Paralysis in
children occurred. One case of Typhoid Fever was notified
during 1949.
Measles showed a sharp rise over the previous year, 282 cases
being notified as against 92 for 1948.
In the non-notifiable infectious diseases there was a corresponding
decrease in the number of cases. There were 35 cases
of Mumps and 26 of Chickenpox, as against 249 and 117 respectively
for the previous year.