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6. TUBERCULOSIS CASE FINDING AMONG SCHOOL
ENTRANTS
For the benefit of new members, this is a scheme which is, I
believe, being operated only in the Forest Division of Essex and
consists of inviting the parents of all infants entering school for the
first time to give consent for their child to have a skin test, the
purpose of which is to trace, through the child, instances of tuberculosis
in an adult, e.g. parent or close relative, etc., which may not
have previously been discovered. The test is carried out as part of
the child's first routine medical inspection at school.
The scheme, has been carried out at schools in Wanstead and
Woodford since 1954 and the response from parents is much higher
than that obtained for the B.C.G. Scheme, mentioned in the preceding
paragraph. In 1959, 366 (71.7%) children were tested and 8
showed a positive re-action. All these were fully investigated
(including examination of parents and other close contacts) by the
Chest Physician and in two cases only were abnormalities detected
neither being of any significance. All the children however were to
be kept under observation.
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