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1907
146
The notification of these 836 cases among scholars led to the exclusion
from school of 2,988 children living in the houses of the patients:—
Scarlet Fever 2,046
Diphtheria 819
Enteric Fever 122
Other Fevers 1
2,988
Thus we see that the presence of disease in a family leads to serious
interference with the education of other children. As a rule, these children
are only kept at home for a week, because a very large proportion of the
patients were removed to hospital for treatment as soon as the case had been
notified, and, therefore, there was no occasion to detain them beyond the
period within which the incubation of the disease might have been expected.
Scarlet Fever.—608 children were attacked, as against an average of
649 during the previous 10 years, while 2,046 children were detained at home
until such time as it was safe to allow them to return, and until the premises
had been disinfected. For the most part, this period lasted only a week, but
in the case of those children whose parents would not allow them to be sent
to hospital, the other inmates of the house were debarred school attendance
until the patient had been cured and the premises had been disinfected.
Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.—216 cases occurred amongst
the scholars, as compared with 177 in the preceding year, and a decennial
average of 255. The presence of this disease in the household entailed the
absence of 819 children from school for the period of time mentioned in the
preceding paragraph.
Enteric Fever.—Only 11 cases of this disease were known among
scholars, which is the smallest number hitherto recorded. These compared
with 33 cases in 1906, and an average of 47 in the 10 years 1897-1906.
122 children were prevented attending school in consequence of its
presence in their homes, but on the cases being removed to hospital and the
premises being disinfected, they were allowed to resume their studies.