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54
DISINFECTION OF ROOMS AND ARTICLES, AND
DISINFESTATION.
(a) Disinfection after infectious disease.
Rooms vacated by persons suffering from infectious disease
are disinfected by fumigation with formalin vapour ; this work is
undertaken by the staff of the Public Health Department. The
number of rooms disinfected after infectious disease during 1937
was 222.
Infected bedding and clothing is steam-disinfected after removal
to the Disinfecting Station attached to the Isolation Hospital. During
1937 186 lots of bedding and clothing were steam-disinfected.
(b) Disinfestation.
Bedding and bedclothing from bug-infested houses is disinfested
also by steam at the Disinfecting Station. During 1937 2 lots of
bedding, from houses from which the tenants were rehoused in Council
houses, were dealt with by steam-disinfestation.
Information with reference to action taken to disinfest buginfested
houses and household effects other than bedding and bedclothing
is given on page 27 of this Report.
(c) Destruction of bedding and other articles.
Nineteen lots of bedding, clothing or other articles which had
been infected, or were infested with vermin, were destroyed on request.
CLEANSING AND DISINFESTATION OF VERMINOUS
PERSONS.
The Council have provided a Cleansing Station situated at the
Council's Depot for the disinfestation of verminous persons and their
belongings.
During 1937 3 children were treated at the Cleansing Station
for verminous condition of the head ; 10 children attended for the
treatment of scabies and received treatment on 42 occasions.
Nine adults were treated for scabies during the year, making
35 attendances for that purpose.
For dealing with persistently verminous children cleansing at
the Cleansing Station is the most satisfactory procedure. As a consequence
of such action the number of children found verminous in
the schools has shown a marked reduction.