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48
The Local Government Board (now the Ministry of Health)
added other diseases to the list which now include the following:—
Plague, cerebro-spinal meningitis, acute poliomyelitis, tuberculosis
and encephalitis lethargica; and, by special regulations, ophthalmia
neonatorum and puerperal pyrexia are also notifiable.
By the Infectious Disease (Notification) Act, the Local
Authority may extend the definition of infectious diseases under
this power. Approval was received in June to add to the list
pemphigus of the newborn, the disease being notifiable as from
17th August.
Enquiries and Exclusion.
On receipt of notification of infectious disease, the premises
are visited and enquiries made. Any sanitary defects receive
attention. If the case is treated at home, advice is given as to
the precautionary measures to be taken to prevent the spread of
infection, stress being laid on isolation and concurrent disinfection.
If the patient is removed to hospital, advice is given as to the
procedure to be followed with regard to possibly infected articles.
Contacts are excluded if from the nature of their work this is
considered advisable. The following list summarises the information
with regard to exclusion of patients and contacts from school:—
Scarlet Fever:—
Home treated patient.
Patient—14 days from date of onset.
Contact—Seven days from recovery of patient.
Hospital treated patient.
Patient—14 days from date of discharge.
Contact—Seven days from removal of patient to hospital.
Diphtheria:—
Home treated patient.
Patient—14 days from date of recovery.
Contact—10 days from the recovery of patient.
Hospital treated patient.
Patient—14 days from date of discharge.
Contact—14 days from removal of patient.
Contacts are visited a few days prior to the date on which,
in the absence of suspicious signs, they would be returning to
school, and, if showing no abnormal discharges or other signs which
might render them possibly infective, the School Authorities are
informed that they can be admitted. Similar steps are taken
before the return to school of patients.
Information regarding non-notifiable infections is mostly
obtained from the head-teachers of the public elementary schools
who send weekly lists of their scholars absent from school while
suffering from, or being contacts of cases of, infectious disease.