View report page

45
Dick-testing and Active Immunization.
Apart from those tests carried out in the isolation hospital for
diagnostic purposes, no provision was made for Dick-testing or for
artificial immunization.
Schools and Scarlet Fever.
Only 115 of those cases notified were of children who, just
prior to succumbing to the illness, were in attendance at a public
elementary school. In 62 cases the patient was the only person in
attendance at school who suffered from scarlet fever at that time,
the onset of illness in any other children who attended the same
department being separated from that of each of these cases by
an interval of at least ten days.
In regard to the other cases there was very little grouping, and
nothing to suggest that spread was caused by attendance at school
until the end of the year when, in the last week of the term, there
were four cases in an Infants' Department in which there had been
one case the previous week. The other groupings were one case in
two consecutive weeks on three occasions; one in each of three
consecutive weeks twice; two cases in one week on five occasions
and three in one week twice; three cases in two consecutive weeks
twice, and four cases spread over three consecutive weeks on three
occasions.
In a large residential school in which there are pupils of both
sexes, over a period of seven consecutive weeks in the spring term
34 cases were notified, all girls, the week when the last cases were
notified ending March 14th. In the summer term, in the six weeks
following the week ending May 9th, 21 cases were notified, all being
girls except that two boys were notified in the third week. After a
few weeks' freedom from infection another group of cases occurred,
six being notified in the week ending July 18th, of whom five were
boys; and another boy was notified in the following week. Scarlet
fever attacked some of those who apparently gave negative readings
of the Dick test, but did not attack any of those who had previously
been actively immunized.
In the report for 1935 reference was made to the occurrence
of a number of cases of scarlet fever at a non-residential private
school in the district. The following is a report on the sequence of
cases which occurred:
"At a private day school of some 76 scholars a number of cases
of scarlet fever occurred, dating back to May, 1935. Most of the
scholars are local residents though a few live in adjoining districts.
A few take a mid-day meal at the school on three days a week.
There is a staff of six, and a gymnastic instructor who is the only
member of the staff who is associated with all the classes. The
classes remain in their own rooms, being visited by the teachers.
At the time of maximum incidence at the school, very few cases of
scarlet fever were being notified in the district.