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School, Hayling Island, and it is hoped that the day is not far
distant when this Open-Air School will again be available for the
reception of children needing convalescent treatment.
The School Medical Officer has visited various convalescent
homes and residential special schools wherein are maintained children
for whom the Committee is responsible, and found generally
that the conditions were satisfactory. These contacts made with
outside authorities are most valuable in formulating policy and
in understanding the particular problems which from time to
time concern those with whom we are fortunate enough to be in
close co-operation.
Infectious Diseases.
A constant supervision over cases of notifiable infectious
diseases is exercised by the school health visitors, and the source of
their information continued to be a weekly return submitted by the
Head Teachers. There has been no serious outbreak of infectious
disease during the year, and it is right to claim that some of the
credit for this is due to the close supervision exercised by the staff
generally.
Scarlet Fever 140
Diphtheria 24
Measles 149
Scabies 92
Scabies.
The number of cases of scabies continued to fall, which, having
in mind the experience of the war of 1914-18, is remarkable.
It is true to say that a good deal of responsibility for this difference
can be attributed to modern methods of treatment and the
consciousness in the minds of the general public of the advantages
of preventive measures.
During the year the School Medical Officer took the opportunity
of arranging, through the Ministry of Information, for the showing
of a most instructive film on scabies, issued by that Ministry.
There were present at the showing of this film general practitioners
of the area, the health visitors and school health visitors, and all
concerned in public health and hygiene in the Borough. While
such a display quite obviously cannot of itself prevent the incidence
of scabies, it is clear that the stimulation of interest in curative