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36
These are generally speaking the measures adopted in most
districts to prevent the spread of the notifiable diseases, and the
more thoroughly they are followed the more success will attend
their operation.
During the year one of the schools under the control of the
London School Board was closed owing to an outbreak of Measles
amongst the scholars attending it. My attention was called to the
circumstance immediately prior to the closure of the school. I
made some inquiries which resulted in the following particulars:—
As far as I could ascertain the first cases appeared in the Infants'
School about the 18th of May. After a few days—about a week—
the disease appears to have spread rapidly, so that on the 14th of
June, when the department was closed, no less than 65 infants
were absent owing to this cause. The disease seems to have been
introduced into the Boys' and Girls' School later, about the first
week in June. Here it also spread rapidly, so that by the 17th
of June, when this department was closed, 46 scholars were absent
owing to the disease. Not all of the absentees were suffering from
Measles—some being excluded owing to other members of their
family being ill with the disease.
The Boys' and Girls' School was re-opened on the 22nd of
June. In this school the effect of closure was not very marked, for
I find 55 scholars still absent on the 30th of June. The Infants,'
School was closed for a longer period—re-opening not taking place
until July 5th. Here closure seems to have been mare effectual,
for I learned on enquiry that only two scholars were absent on the
15th of July.
This subject of School Closure requires much more thorough
study than appears hitherto to have been given to it, if the greatest
amount of benefit in the prevention of disease, with the least amount
of interference with school studies, is to be obtained.