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of 1, it would be practically impossible. I take it for granted
that children under 3 do not attend school, but other children
from the same families attend school, and may possibly carry
the infection to the schools. Notification would be useful in
giving early information and preventing the other children from
attending school and spreading the disease. Where it is known
that the children are suffering from Measles, or that they come
from houses where children are so infected, they are excluded
from attending school, and the School Board Authorities inform
me of the fact. This information is of value, as it gives me an
opportunity of knowing the full extent of the epidemic and also
of recommending the closing of the school if necessary. It
would be as well if all voluntary schools adopted a similar
method. Measles is very infectious in its earlier stages before
it can be diagnosed with certainty, but Scarlet Fever is most
infectious in, its later stages when the child is peeling. Scarlet
Fever can therefore be isolated before it can do much harm, but
Measles cannot. Parents unfortunately regard Measles as a
"necessary evil," and that the sooner a child has the Measles
the better off it is. Therefore, the mothers, instead of keeping
the children away from the sick child, bring them together as
much as possible, as they consider it will be more convenient to
have them laid up at the same time than one after the other.
This is the experience of nearly every Medical Practitioner in
our district. By making it a notifiable disease it is probable that
the parents would regard it more seriously, and the penalty for
allowing the children to be exposed in the streets would result
in fewer complications such as Bronchitis and Pneumonia, and
thus in a fewer number of deaths. The drawback to this would
be, that a large number of children would have the disease so
slight that no Medical man would be called in, and therefore
would be unreported. In addition to the expenditure involved
in increased Hospital accommodation, the notification fees
would necessarily be a very large item, and the Sanitary Staff
would have to be materially increased. Personally, I am of
opinion that if Female Health Visitors were appointed, notification
even without Hospital isolation would be of great