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15
The Table shows that the incidence of non-notifiable infectious
disease has remained heavy, the slack Measles year being compensated
by increase in other diseases. Non-notifiable diseases
still continue to be visited by the School Nurses. As has been
pointed out in previous years, infectious visiting takes up a very
large part of the nurse's visiting time, and when the number of
infections cases is large, the other work is bound to suffer; and
so it has been this year. In addition there has been a substantial
increase in Scarlet Fever, and a considerable outbreak of Diphtheria
in the district, in which the number of school cases of
Diphtheria was more than four times greater than in 1928. There
has, however, been no undue preponderance of school cases; the
percentage of school cases to the total civil cases being in 1927,
51.78; in 1928, 54.5, and in 1929, 56.64.
As usual in cases of Diphtheria, all home contacts have been
swabbed, and in cases where is was thought that the infection
might be in the school, school contacts have also been examined.
In one school, amongst whose pupils the largest number of
cases (40) occurred, systematic swabbing was done of the nose
and throat of every child in all forms where cases had occurred,
and every absentee was visited and swabbed, and the relation of
cases one to another was investigated; and further, every member
of the staff, and the Caretakers were swabbed, and cultures were
taken from the Drinking Fountain.
The result was largely negative. A few children were found
with Klebs-Loeffler's Bacillus in throat or nose, and were isolated
and treated, but it is doubtful if they were true carriers.
The whole investigation shewed that the school was not the
source of infection, which in itself was valuable, as it served to
allay parents' fears in this respect, and so justify the policy of
keeping the schools open.
Investigations in other schools gave the same result, although
swabbing on such a large scale was not attempted.
The amount of extra work this alone gave to the medical and
nursing staff was enormous. During the year the medical staff
examined 6,021 swabs.
Towards the end of the year the Council decided to offer
facilities to parents for free Schick testing and immunisation, and
Clinics were started early in 1930.
A full account of the outbreak of Diphtheria will be found
in the Health Report for the year.