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22
The following is a special report made to the Local
Government Board and Essex County Council:
Public Offices,
East Ham,
24th January, 1898.
Sir,—I beg to inform you that, in consequence of the great
prevalence of Measles in the District, I have deemed it advisable
to close the Infants' Departments of the High Street, New
Beckton, and Stamford Eoad Schools.
The epidemic made its first appearance in the Beckton
Ward. I visited the New Beckton School on the 29th
November, 1897, and found that, in the Infants' Department,
the percentage of attendance had fallen from 85.0 to 48.0.
The head teacher prepared a statement, from which I learned
that 71 children were away suffering from Measles. The number
of infants on the books was 220; the number in school
at the time of visit, 61. I suggested the closing of the New
Beckton School (infants' department) for twenty- one days. The
School Board complied with my suggestion.
On the same day I visited the Stamford Road ("temporary
school), and found 168 scholars on the books, and 87 in
school. The percentage of attendance had fallen off from 78.5
to 51-0. The head teacher prepared me a list of 24 scholars
reported to be suffering from Measles, and, on the 30th
November, sent me a further list of sixteen more scholars so
suffering, bringing the number up to forty. I suggested the
immediate closing of the school for twenty-one days, and this
suggestion was acted upon by the School Board.
The closing of the schools at Beckton had the desired
effect, and the epidemic abated in that District.
From information received, I discovered great prevalence
of the disease in theBonney Downs district, and in the vicinity