View report page

8
Vital Statistics.
The objections to the inclusion of Rubella, or German
Measles, founded on experience are:—
(a) It is not dangerous to life.
(b) It is not essentially a disease of infancy.
(c) It is treated by everyone, including doctors, as a
trifling indisposition.
(d) The patient—often feeling perfectly well—is not
going to be properly isolated for 3 weeks.
(e) The disease need not be confused with ordinary
Measles, and is in fact quite dissimilar
With regard to Measles the case is very different:—
(a) It is a dangerous disease to infancy.
{b) It requires careful nursing.
(c) It requires one week in bed, one week in the
bedroom, and one week in the house.
Here notification has been valuable in that it has secured
medical attention and visits from the Health Authority.
The age groups for Measles show that one-fourth of the
cases were in children up to and including 5 years of age. One
half occurred in children of school age, and one-fourth in youth
and adult age in equal proportion.
The age groups for Rubella (German Measles) show that
only one-sixth of the cases occurred in children up to and including
5 years of age. Between one-half and two-thirds occurred in
children of school age, and one-fourth in youth and adult age in
equal proportion.
The large proportion of cases among school children would
seem to indicate that if notification was useful in their cases, it was
in enforcing absence from school until the period of infectivity was
over, and so keeping down the spread of infection. At the same
time, three weeks appears too long for Rubella; probably a fortnight
is sufficient for the patient and three weeks for the contacts. In the
case of Measles three weeks isolation is necessary, not so much to
prevent infection as to prevent any such complication as bronchopneumonia.
Measles is probably not infectious after the rash and
catarrhal symptoms have subsided, and Rubella probably becomes