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HYGIENE INSPECTIONS
One of the duties of the nursing staff in schools is a cleanliness survey carried
out each term. The numbers found to be infested at these surveys are augmented by others
who are discovered at periodic or special medical inspections. The numbers found at
periodic medical inspection are very few, the main reason being that parents receive notice
of this examination and therefore have some time to see that their children are presented
in a satisfactory condition. In the case of cleanliness or hygiene surveys carried out by
the school nurses, neither the parents nor the children receive notice, and the pupils are
found in the condition in which they habitually attend school. While the responsibility
for cleansing is upon the parents, the children found to be infested are followed up until
the school nurse is satisfied that they are clean.
During the year 65,913 inspections were made at these cleanliness surveys and 425
instances of infestation found. On the basis of a school population of 28,815 this gives
a proportion of uncleanliness of 1.47 per cent which compares with 1.55 per cent in 1956.
The national figure was 1.8 per cent for both years. These numbers refer to individual
children, because however many times a child is found infested in the year, it is only
recorded as one case. There are many instances of recurrent infestations in the same
children, and these persistent offenders provide the School Health Service with one of its
most pressing problems. Infestation in such children can rarely be eradicated until the
whole family is seen and treatment given to all those who need it.
The procedure for dealing with infestation in school children adopted by the
Education Committee in 1953 and described in detail in the annual report for that year,
was continued throughout 1957. The following figures relate to the work done during the
year:-
Total number of individual pupils found to be infested 425
Total of individual pupils in respect of whom cleansing
Notices were issued (Section 54 (2) Education Act, 1944) 146
Total of individual pupils in respect of whom cleansing
Orders were issued (Section 54 (3) Education Act, 1944) 15
It is interesting to record that, although 15 cleansing orders were issued, only 5
children were compulsorily cleansed at the Treatment Centre. Experience shows that the force
of the cleansing notice often has the effect of making the parents realise their responsibilities
so that, even though it is necessary to issue a cleansing order, by the time it
is in the parents hands, a number of the children have been satisfactorily cleansed. During
the five years under review the percentage of infestation has dropped from 4.6 in 1953 to
1.47 in the present year.
There was a reduction of 30 cleansing notices and an increase of 3 cleansing
orders issued during the year compared with the previous year. Twelve cases had a second
notice issued during the year.
There have been a number of indications, however, of the salutary effect of the
"cleansing campaign" upon the parents; and fathers in particular, have realised, often
for the first time, the condition into which their children have been allowed to fall
and have taken active steps to remedy the situation.
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