View report page

22
NOTIFIED DISEASES.
Diphtheria.—Thirty-one cases were notified, as against
33 in 1908, and 28 in 1901. Tnere were 5 deaths, the same
number as in 1908. The rate of incidence was 2.2 and the
mortality .35 calculated per thousand of population.
It will be seen from the Table that 23 cases were over
5 years and 8 under. That is to say, that the bigger portion
occurred in the school ages of life, only 6 people over 15 years
of age having contracted the disease.
The usual precautions of isolation and disinfection were
taken, and school children in contact with infected people
were excluded from classes for the full period in which the
disease might be expected to develop and show itself. I have
made it a practice of examining the throats of all the children
in the class from which any single case of Diphtheria has been
notified, as also any other child to whom my attention may
have been attracted. Isolated cases occurred in all the schools,
but in my visits, I could not obtain any proof of contacts having
developed the disease.
A good deal of work is being done in the profession to
guage the extent by which people, who do not have any symptoms,
or show any physical signs, may carry infection. These are
known as "carriers," and are not necessarily ill themselves.
Examination by bacteriological means would, however, throw
light on the subject; therefore, in addition to my usual
examination, I am taking swabs of the throats of three school
children who have sat next to the notified case.
It is honed that this procedure will help to eliminate, at any rate so far as
the Public Elementary Schools are concerned, one factor in
the propagation of disease.