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29
VERMIN INFESTATION.
Scabies.
This year saw a still greater increase in the number of persons who
attended the treatment centres on account of this complaint, 2,178
attending as compared with 1,701 last year and 299 the year before.
The months in which the attendances were appreciably above the average
were September, October and November. As was found the case last
year, while the numbers for each sex of those under five years of age were
almost equal, far greater numbers of girls of school age attended than of
boys, while the figures of attendances of adult females were about three
times those of adult males.
The same routine of treatment was continued, namely, two applications
of benzyl benzoate following a bath, and steam disinfection of
clothing. At one time it was assumed that the spread of scabies was
largely the result of infestation by clothing, bedding, etc. For this reason
disinfesting was considered an essential part of the procedure for the
eradication of this infestation. In February the Ministry issued a circular
pointing out that recent investigations had shown that while articles of
clothing and bedding may play some part of the spread of scabies, the
importance of this as a means of dissemination has been much overestimated,
so much so in fact that it was considered routine disinfesting
of clothing to be unnecessary after the standard methods of treatment.
Accepting that re-infestation might occur if disinfestation is not carried
out, the circular pointed out that repetition of treatment in an occasional
case is simpler than continuing the expenditure of man power and
material required for routine disinfesting in all cases. When this circular
was considered by the Public Health Committee it was decided to continue
to offer facilities for the disinfestation of clothing of those treated under
the Council's arrangements.
Head Infestation.
The analysis carried out in 1941, of the extent of head infestation
occurring amongst patients who had been admitted to the local Isolation
Hospital in the previous few years disclosed a disturbingly high incidence.
Amongst males of under five, the figure was 10 per cent.; of ages 5 to 9,
7 per cent.; of ages 10 to 14, 2 per cent., with no infestation of those of
over 14. The corresponding figures amongst females were much higher,
being respectively 25, 16 and 15, while 8 per cent. of adolescent females
were found to have dirty heads. A similar analysis of patients admitted
in the years 1942 and 1943 showed a marked improvement. The corresponding
figures for boys were 6, 3, and 2, while again no vermin were
found in the heads of males of over 14. Amongst girls of under ten there
was a welcome fall, the incidence in those under five and in those of ages
5 to 10 being just under 8 per cent. The figure of 13 per cent. though for
those of 10 to 14 was much the same as that found in the previous analysis,
as was the figure of 8 per cent. found amongst adolescents.
A sample investigation carried out by the health visitors in 1941 of
children under five disclosed an average incidence of 7.5 per cent., this
figure being an average of a range from 0 to 30 per cent. Five of the 14
health visitors recorded nil returns. In a similar investigation this year