View report page

5
MEASLES.
The outbreak of measles reported at the end of last
year was continued into the beginning of this year. There
were 22 deaths. It was not found necessary to close any of
the schools after the closure already reported. The deaths
were in young children below school age and possibly may in
some cases have been increased by the extremely cold weather
and inability to buy coal for warming purposes.
SCARLET FEVER.
This disease has not been very prevalent this year.
Small outbreaks occurred in April, May, June, August, September,
November and December. These outbreaks in only
one or two instances showed connection with the schools.
There was a class outbreak in September at the Richmond
Road School, started from an unrecognized case. The master
was also ill with sore throat and one scholar who had
had a sore throat without other symptoms appears to have
conveyed the disease to his sisters immediately on their return
from the seaside.
Another outbreak was in November and December in
scholars attending Bonner Hill School chiefly, but not
entirely.
It was found in many of the solitary cases that were
notified that there was a history of visits outside the borough
by train or tram to places where there was considerable
incidence of this disease.
A larger number of cases have been sent to hospital than
has been usual, as in so many cases two families were living
in one house. This practice seems to be getting more
common and to replace the former custom of one family and
one or two young men lodgers.
This change is partly due to want of employment and
partly to a rise in working class rents.
Seventy.one cases were notified and there was one death
in hospital after 5½ months treatment for albuminuria.
DIPHTHERIA.
These cases have been as a whole of a very mild type.
The system of supplying the medical practitioners with diagnosis
boxes, so that they can. take swabbings in suspicious