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3
Whooping
Cough
I have previously, in my Annual Reports,
referred to the seriousness of Whooping Cough
when epidemic, and urged on the Council the
desirability of classing it amongst the notifyable
diseases. I beg to press this again upon the
Council, as it would afford a chance of stamping
out the disease at its first appearance.
In my last Report, I went to some pains to
draw up a list of simple precautions to be adopted
in cases of Infectious Sickness with a view of preventing
their spread. The Council were good
enough to give instructions that these suggestions
should be printed for distribution. I believe this
was omitted through an oversight. It would be
of much utility both to the Sanitary Inspector and
myself to have these printed in a convenient form
for distribution in houses where infectious sickness
has broken out.
Outbreaks of
Diptheria,
January and
October.
A sharp outbreak of Diphtheria occurred in
January, 4 children in the same family having
been affected with the disease within a few days
of its first appearance; as so often happens in our
district, the house was occupied by two families,
each with several children. By the exercise of the
strictest precaution, the disease was confined to
the one family. There could be no reasonable
doubt in this case that the disease was caused by
defective drains. In October there were 6 cases
in the Drive just outside the Council's district,
but the outbreak was confined to a limited area,
and apparently originated through the children
having disturbed a heap of decomposing animal
refuse which had been deposited in the neighbourhood
of their homes by some person. It should be
generally known that to do this is an offence against
the Public Health Act and punishable at law, and
in the event of it happening again I would suggest
the offer of a reward for the discovery of the
offender.