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11
The disease was of a mild type, and no Death resulted from it during
the year.
Diphtheria and Membranous Croup were unusually prevalent, fiftytwo
(52) cases having been notified to me during the year. Twelve (12)
cases were reported from Coppull, ten (10) from Brindle, seven (7) from
Whittle, four (4) each from Wheelton, Anderton, and Heath Charnock,
three (3) from Bretherton, and one (1) or two (2) from six other townships.
Eight (8) Deaths resulted from these Diseases, viz, five (5) from Diphtheria,
and three (3) from Membranous Croup, or 15 per cent. of the whole number
of cases. Nine (9) cases were removed to Hospital, and one (1) died in that
institution.
One or more cases were notified in each month of the year, but the
second and third Quarters yielded the fewest cases, viz, five (5) and four (4)
respectively. Eighteen (18) cases were reported in October, seven (7) in
February, six (6) in March, and five (5) in November.
The Brindle cases, I believe, originated from an undiscovered and
unreported case, the child being allowed to go to school, and thereby
communicate the infection to other children attending there. Nine (9) of
the ten (10) notified cases occurred in October, and most of them were in
children attending the National School. I recommended the closure of the
school, which your Council directed to be carried out.
Six (6) of the Coppull cases were reported in October, two (2) in
November, and one (1) each in four other months.
Typhoid Fever.—Only five (5) notifications of Typhoid Fever were
received in 1907, as compared with eleven (11) in 1906, and an average
of twenty-four (24) for the decade (1897—1906).
This is one of the most satisfactory features of my Report, and I
think your District is beginning to realise the benefit conferred upon the
inhabitants by the various Draining and Sewage Works constructed by
you, and by the supply of pure water to many portions of the District.
No death occurred from Typhoid Fever during the year.
The houses infected by Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, or Typhoid Fever
were visited by myself or my deputy, Dr. Webb, instructions given to the
persons in charge, disinfectants supplied, and on the termination of the
case, the houses were fumigated and disinfected by one of your Caretakers.
Any sanitary defect that has been found has been reported to you,
and has been remedied.
Measles has been very prevalent in various portions of your District
during the year, but has now subsided. In January there was an outbreak
at Higher Wheelton, spreading in February and March to Lower-lane,
Heapey, and Town-lane, Whittle; in June many cases occurred in Anderton,
etc.; and in September and October a distinct epidemic occurred in Coppull,
Ulnes Walton, and Eccleston; and in November this epidemic spread to
Heskin, Mawdesley, and Charnock Richard.
I have no means of ascertaining the exact number of children who
suffered from this disease, but on my visits to the various schools I obtained
lists of cases that amounted to several hundreds in the aggregate.