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24
Infectious Disease in the Schools.
Of the cases of measles and German measles which came under
observation during the year, 459 were children attending the schools in
the district, and the majority of the cases occurred during February,
March, April and May Among the 130 children attending the Nelson
(Infants') School, 50 cases of measles were reported in November and
December. Curiously, at this time measles was practically absent from
the other schools,, and the Nelson School was not affected at the time
when the other schools were attacked earlier in the year.
Almost every case of measles was visited by the School Nurse or
Health Visitors, and exclusion of the patients and contacts attending
the Infants' departments arranged.
Twenty notifications of scarlet fever and 26 of diphtheria referred
to school children. In the latter disease daily inspection for 12 days
of the throats of all the children in the classes where a case had occurred
and swabbing of contacts were continued, as in previous years.
Only 67 cases of school children suffering from whooping cough
came under notice, and visits were paid in each case by the School
Nurse
The prevalence of infectious skin disease has been noted in
reporting on the work of the Minor Ailment Treatment Clinic. In
a large number of the cases of scabies a direct history of infection from
soldier relatives or friends on leave could be traced.