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55
The impossibility of getting these cases admitted into isolation
hospitals belonging to other authorities emphasises the necessity
for the provision by the Council of hospital beds for any case of
typhoid fever that might arise. This outbreak was reported to the
Council, who after consideration instructed the Medical Officer of
Health to furnish the Mereway Hospital (which was vacant and
had been reserved for small-pox) and to treat cases of typhoid
fever there, subject to satisfactory arrangements being made with
other authorities for the reception of small-pox cases should such
occur.
Such arrangements for the treatment of small-pox elsewhere
having failed, the Mereway Hospital is still reserved for small-pox,
but the provision of accommodation for typhoid fever has been
included in the scheme outlined in the report presented to the
Committee on additional hospital accommodation which was under
consideration at the time of writing this report.
On September 1st a circular letter was received from the
Local Government Board on the co-operation between the civil and
military services especially in view of the possibility of outbreaks of
typhoid fever or small-pox.
No troops were billeted in the district during the year, but on
account of the presence of a considerable number of refugees and
soldiers on leave, the questions were considered by the Council,
but owing to the difficulty of arranging for the reception of smallpox
elsewhere than at the Mereway, no hospital accommodation for
typhoid fever had been arranged at the time of writing this report.
Whooping Coughs, Measles and Mumps.—The prevalence
of these diseases is to a certain extent indicated by the notifications
which were received from the teachers in the elementary schools.
Whooping Cough was somewhat prevalent in the first and third
quarters of the year, and six deaths were registered as due to this
disease, five of which were children under 1 year of age.
Measles was not present in excess of the usual amount and was
apparently of mild type, no death being recorded.