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The cleanliness inspection of the fourth year children will be carried out at the same time
as the routine medical examination, which takes place during the school year in which a pupil
reaches fifteen years of age.
Pupils who stay on at school beyond compulsory school age will have their next cleanliness
inspection at the routine medical examination which takes place at approximately seventeen
years of age.
If a case of infestation is reported from these two latter groups of senior pupils, the method
of inspection adopted to combat further infestation is left to the discretion of the Principal School
Medical Officer.
At any other time, complaints of infestation of individual pupils will cause immediate inspection
under this Section in the interests of the health and well-being of all school children.
CLEANLINESS INSPECTIONS
It is regrettable to note that there was an increase in the number of children found to have
head lice infestation, 68 in 1969, 112 in 1970. This means constant alertness on the part of school
doctors and nurses that all children are examined in all schools since this condition is no respecter
of persons and prompt action is necessary to prevent its spread.
The steady increase in infestation
which has been noted on a national scale in recent years is a matter of some concern, especially
in view of recent reports suggesting that head lice are acquiring resistance to the current methods
of treatment.

SKIN DEFECTS
A decline was noted in the small number of children suffering from skin defects when
compared with last year. Infant school children showed the greatest incidence, followed by leavers
then the junior school children. Among infants, one of the commonest conditions is eczema, or
atopic dermatitis (usually associated with the allergic diseases such as asthma and hay fever)
and occasionally impetigo. The latter is very quickly brought under control; the former requires
a longer treatment with variable results. Among the older schoolchildren acne is the most common
and this affects a fairly large number of "teenagers" at some stage during their later school life.
The treatment consists of scrupulous attention to personal cleanliness since the skin tends to
become very greasy and easily infected at this period of their lives, as well as topical applications
of medicaments in appropriate cases. The majority of children pass through this phase with very
little difficulty, but early attention to this problem is desirable.
Among all sections of school children verrucae or plantar warts are noted, the incidence
being similar for junior and senior pupils but less often seen among the infants. Since the warts
are considered to be infective, it is necessary that children who have them should keep the part
covered with plaster when using public places for example, showers at school or physical education
in the hall. The treatment can be lengthy and not always completely successful. Prevention is
eminently preferable to cure.
Two cases of ringworm came to light and the usual preventive measures were taken to
exclude infection in other children.
Scabies
In 1970, 22 sessions were devoted to investigations for scabies in 18 different schools and
32 cases were found. By comparison in 1969, 17 sessions were devoted to this condition and
33 cases were discovered. There was some difference in distribution of these cases, however,
since in 1969 the 17 sessions were concentrated in one part of the Borough but in 1970 the other
parts of the Borough were involved. The number of cases discovered were similar. It would appear
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