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103
School Medical Officer has dealt in previous annual reports.
19 deaths from Measles in children under 15 were 1ecorded,
as compared with one from Scarlet Fever and five from
Diphtheria, it will be realised from these figures that Measles
is a most dangerous disease.
CHICKEN POX.
There was an excessive incidence of this disease during
1913, the epidemic reaching its height in November. Of
the individual schools, Highlands was specially affected, one
child out of every six in attendance contracting the disease.
Chicken pox is only rarely fatal. It is of importance in that
the more serious disease Smallpox may be mistaken for it.
WHOOPING COUGH.
There was but little prevalence of this disease during
the year, with the exception of the children attending
Goodmayes School, amongst whom 46, or nearly 50 per cent.
of the number of cases occurred. The custom was followed
as before of excluding susceptible contacts for 14 days only.
This is in accordance with the modern idea that the infectious
period of Whooping Cough is during the preliminary cold
or cough that precedes the whooping stage. By the time,
therefore, that a case is diagnosed by its whooping, infection
of other susceptible children has, if at all, occurred.
MUMPS.
There was an exceptionally large number of cases of
Mumps in the latter part of 1912, and this continued during
the first six or seven months of 1913. The epidemic then
subsided, and only a few cases here and there were recorded
during the remainder of the year.