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89
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
All homes are visited by a Sanitary Inspector and an Enquiry
Officer, who enquires in to the possible sources of infection, arranges for
admission to Hospital, and deals with schools and contacts. He also
arranges for the rooms to be closed and disinfected and for the admission
of contacts to the Reception House if necessary.
SMALL POX.
There were 153 cases notified during 1929 as against 19 in 1928.
Many of these cases arose from one source, a case of a schoolboy who
was thought to have suffered from Chicken Pox and spread the disease
among his schoolfellows before the true nature of his illness was detected.
Other cases were imported from other districts where the disease has
been very prevalent.
The disease has been of a mild type and no deaths have occurred, but
in some cases the patients will carry permanent marks, especially those
who have not been vaccinated.
SMALL POX CONTACTS.
The payment of compensation to contacts who are compelled to stay
away from work has received the consideration of the Ministry of Health,
and where such abstention is at the instance of the Sanitary Authority,
the position is as follows :—
In cases of Small Pox, the contacts are not isolated in quarantine
for any length of time, but only sufficiently long, generally one day, for
disinfection of their clothes and effects, and vaccination if they agree to
this being done. This is in accordance with the procedure adopted by
the Ministry of Health. They are, however, kept under observation at
their work and at their homes for sixteen days, the period during which
Small Pox might develop.
The only exceptions are where special circumstances exist, as in
Common Lodging Houses and Laundries ; in which cases, should the
contacts have to give up work, the Ministry are prepared to sanction
reasonable expenditure (Memorandum 71 A).
There is, however, no legal authority for payment of compensation
if the Ministry do not consider such necessary for the protection of the
Public Health, (Circular 698). Should, however, the employers of that