London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Woolwich 1910

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]

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36
due to failure of isolation. Taking the 128 hospital return
cases in 1907-10 on one side, and the six failures of home
isolation and home return cases on the other side, and comparing
these with the 2,798 cases isolated in hospital and
371 isolated at home respectively, it may be said that there
were, in the four years, 4.6 per cent. of failures in the
hospital isolation, and 1.6 per cent. in the home isolation.
This comparison takes no account of the not inconsiderable
number of children who are attacked at hospital by a second
infectious disease, and the much shorter period of isolation.
43. Other sources of Infection. A probable source of infection
was found in 117 cases. In 58 cases infection was
attributed to other inmates of the house. Some of these
were never notified, and had no distinct symptoms of Scarlet
Fever, but a history of sore throats made it probable that
they "had had a slight attack of this disease.
44. In 8 cases infection was attributed to friends and
neighbours, in 15 cases to school attendance, in 5 to visiting
hospitals, in 2 to entertainments, and 1 was a relapse shortly
after leaving hospital.
Schools. Abbey Wood, Purrett Road, and Ancona Road
Schools were specially affected, and on my request medical
examinations were made of children in certain classes.
Exclusion of Contacts. Children living in the same house
as a notified case are now excluded two weeks instead of
one as previously.
45. The Annual Report for 1905 contained a special
report on a statistical investigation into school incidence of
Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria during the ten years 18961905.