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have been advised that at their request, visits will be paid and
similarly arrangements will be made for home nursing by the
staff of the district Nursing Association. In the case of those
patients of whom knowledge is gained by intimation of the absence
of a sick child from one of the public elementary schools, the
health visitors visit the homes whether or not there are there
children under five years of age. The total number of visits paid
by the health visitors was 1,152, and 22 children were removed to
hospital.
WHOOPING COUGH.
For the first three quarters of the year the incidence of
whooping-cough remained slight, the weekly average notifications
received for the first five months, being only one; two in each
of the next two months; three and four for August and September,
followed by a rise to 7 in October, and figures of 21 and 20 in
November and December. No intimations were received of
absences from school on account of this complaint for the first
four months of the year. As in the case of the notifications from
medical practitioners, the rise in the summer months was followed
by an increase in September and a still heavier incidence in the
last months of the year. While the numbers considered week
by week or month by month vary, the total number of notifications
received from the medical practitioners, namely, 299, closely
approximated, as happened in the case of measles, to that of the
figure of 282 received from the head teachers of the public elementary
schools. Only one case proved fatal.
The number of patients suffering from whooping-cough who
were removed to hospital for treatment was 9, and the number
of visits paid by the health visitors was 168.
NON-NOTIFIABLE INFECTIONS.
Chickenpox.
Of the 261 children who were absent from the public elementary
schools during the year because they were suffering from chickenpox
63 attended one school. Four other schools had between 20
and 40 sufferers, most of these being during the summer term.
Mumps.
84 of the 142 cases of mumps occurred in one school during
the summer term. In the following term three other schools
were lightly affected.
Influenza.
Influenza was prevalent in the earlier part of the year, 11 out
of the 24 deaths ascribed to it occurring in the latter half of
February and the first half of March.