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In two instances a presumably infectious case had been treated
in outside hospitals, but the remainder had been in-patients at the
local hospitals. Of these, 4 were discharged within 28 days from
the onset of illness, 4 in the fifth week, 2 in the sixth week, while 3
had been in over 10 weeks, two being detained because of rhinorrhoea
and one because of adenitis.
Recovery Cases.
There were four cases in which a patient in a house succumbed
to scarlet fever within 28 days after the freeing of the patient who
had been nursed at home. The intervals separating the date of
freeing from the onset of illness were 9, 13, 15 and 25 days (in
another case the interval was 33 days). Apart from one patient
who had a nasal discharge, the original patient presented no abnormal
signs at the time of the onset of illness in the other patient.
In the case where the interval was 9 days the second patient had
been away from home during the illness of the original patient.
Home Treated Cases.
176 patients suffering from scarlet fever were treated in their
own homes.
Most cases were uncomplicated and made uninterrupted
recoveries. Adenitis occurred in 6 per cent. of the cases, rhinorrhoea
in 7 per cent., otorrhoea in 6, and joint pains in 2 per cent. The
corresponding figures for those treated in hospital were: adenitis
15.4, otorrhoea 4.8, rhinorrhoea 8.7, abscess 4.3, albuminuria 4.8,
rheumatism 2.4 and mastoiditis 1.9.
The occurrence of secondary and recovery cases has already
been referred to.
Cases following Operation on the Naso-pharynx.
There were four cases this year where scarlet fever followed
operative treatment of tonsils and adenoids. In one patient on
whom an operation had been performed at home the interval from
the date of the operation to the onset of illness was three weeks.
The other children were operated on at hospitals, two in one and
the third in a different hospital. The onset of illness was the
third day from the date on which the operation was performed in
one case and the fifth and sixth days in the other two. In one of
these cases the patient secondarily infected another child.
Deaths.
There were no deaths from scarlet fever during the year.