London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Harrow 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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The following is a summary of the recommendations in the addendum :—
Period of Exclusion
| Patients | Contacts, i.e., the other members of the family or household living together as a family, that is, in one tenement | |
|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | 7 days after discharge from hospital or from home isolation (unless " cold in the head," discharge from the nose or ear, sore throat, or " septic spots " be present). | 7 days after the removal of the patient to hospital or the beginning of his isolation at home. |
| Diphtheria | Until pronounced by a medical practitioner to be free from infection. | 7 days after the removal of the patient to hospital or the beginning of his isolation at home. If there be any suspicious signs the child should be excluded further until pronounced by a medical practitioner to be free from infection. |
| Measles | 14 days after the appearance of the rash if the child appears well. | Infants who have not had the disease should be excluded for 14 days from the date of appearance of the rash in the last case in the house. Other contacts can attend school. Any contact suffering from a cough, cold, chill or red eyes should be immediately excluded. |
| German Measles | 7 days from the appearance of the rash. | None. |
| Whooping Cough | 28 days from the beginning' of the characteristic cough. | Infants who have not had the disease should be excluded for 21 days from the date of onset of the disease in the last case in the house. |
| Mumps ... | 14 days from the onset of the disease or 7 days from the subsidence of all swelling. | None. |
| Chickenpox | 14 days from the date of the appearance of the rash. | None. |
| Smallpox | Until the patient is pronounced by a medical practitioner to be free from infection. | 21 days unless recently successfully vaccinated when exclusion is unnecessary. |
Disinfection.
In November, 1934, it was agreed that fumigation and stoving be
carried out free of charge at premises infected with a notifiable infectious
disease. In other cases fumigation was to be undertaken only when
demanded, an appropriate charge being made. In March, 1935, it was
agreed (a) that except in cases of smallpox and typhoid fever, and in any
exceptional cases approved by the Medical Officer of Health, where
disinfection cannot be carried out in the home, when the present practice
will be followed, in future all terminal fumigation and removal of bedding
and other articles for stoving after the commoner notifiable infections
be abandoned, and that the householder be instructed as to the precautionary
measures to be taken ; (b) that where householders still require