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Ignorance on the part of Mothers of the seriousness of the disease, is
probably the principal factor in the high mortality from Measles. They fail
to recognise the fact that children suffering from Measles are very liable to
complications, such as Broncho-Pneumonia, which is possibly the most
frequent secondary cause of death. It is thought that Measles is such a
trivial disease, that the sooner the child gets it, the better it is for him and all
concerned. Whereas it is an admitted fact, that beyond the age of two years,
the older the child becomes, the less liable he is to the disease; and if
contracted, children over 5 years of age rarely succumb.
In 1903, the London County Council made an order that all the sections
of the Public Health Act 1891, relating to Notifiable diseases should apply
to Measles, with the exception of that section, which would make it obligatory
on the nearest relative, or the Doctor in attendance, to notify the patient so
suffering to the Public Health Authorities. This Order was approved by the
Local Government Board, and came into force on April 1st of that year. A
person is liable to heavy penalties if he exposes infected clothing, or allows a
person suffering from Measles, whilst under his charge, to be in a public place.
The premises must be disinfected when the patient has recovered from Measles,
and is presumably free from infection. It was assumed by the London County
Council that information would be given to us by the School Authorities, as
well as by the parents themselves. It is true we receive information from
teachers that certain children are absent from school, and that such children
are supposed to be suffering from Measles. On making inquiries, I find that as
a rule the teachers' notifications are based upon the report of the School
Attendance Officer, or upon the information given by children in the same
house, or neighbouring houses. To that extent the information is unreliable.
When visits are made by officials of the Sanitary Authority for the purpose of
enforcing isolation and disinfection the mothers of the children in question
deny the statement made to us by the teachers. They usually state that the
patients had suffered from an illness other than Measles, and pointed to the
children as being quite well at the time of the visit.