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PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES
CONTROL OF VERMIN AND SCABIES
By the courtesy of the School Medical Officer particulars regarding the
cleanliness surveys in schools have been obtained, and are as follows:-
Number of children examined:-
Primary Schools 15,534
Secondary Modern Schools. 4,650
20,184
Number of children requiring treatment 131
Number of children in respect of whom
cleansing notices were issued 87
Number of children cleansed by Local
Health Authority 37
There was an increase of 529 in the total number of cleanliness inspections
but a decrease in the number of children who had become infested with head lice,
from 144 in 1954 to 131 in 1955.
Although this figure is less for the year, the findings are still not to
be considered very satisfactory since the number requiring compulsory cleansing
rose from 29 to 37 after rising in the previous year also.
By arrangement with the Medical Officer of Health of Hammersmith, persons
requiring cleansing because of infestation with scabies or vermin, can be treated
at the Hammersmith Cleansing Station. During 1955, five persons were referred
for cleansing, all for verminous infestation, Four of these cases were cleared
quickly, but one, who lived in an Institution, was found to be repeatedly
re-infested, and required cleansing on five separate occasions. This is the
largest number of persons in the Borough for many years to require treatment
for verminous infestation.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
In the year 1955, there was a marked increase in the incidence of infectious
disease. This was due solely to the rise in measles notifications. Measles is
a disease showing a marked biennial fluctuation and the current year was the
year of the crest of the wave. The up and down nature of this disease can be
observed from the following table of notifications of this disease during the
past ten years.
1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
188 438 335 511 269 863 413 810 47 659
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