SCHOOL EPIDEMICS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 4

SCHOOL EPIDEMICS.

Sir,—ln to-day'-i issue, uiider th? above heading, you -publish Dr. llhesson s Vfcport to the Education Board ro the disinfect?o,, of thelStc Schools in this district at least onto annually. ou AY lien t joined the school committee three years ago the. mutter ol school cleaning was under J. tl.en made :< susgciiion, which was adopted, viz.. that the school floors bo sprinkled once a week with sawdust, satiualed with .srsstsssw^^ip as a result of epidemics »t inmii])s. measles, etc.. jnst as other schools, were likewise aiTected. Thereforp, the committee were looking round for some means of mitigating the trouble. During the last vacation the school was thoroughly clcancd in'the usual way with wnter and disinfectants, and having in mind the large number absent through sickness just before the holidays, the question occurred to me: Have wu donp all that is possible to Hi-event a recurrence, as soon as the school is opened:- 1 .1 then thought that if the place was well fnniigalcd with formalin, that -we should have- done all that was humanly possible to prevent sickness. 1 approached the Hospital Department, and thsy anproved the suggestion, offering to undertake the fumigation and supply the formalin at the bare' landed cost. This was acrced to, ami the work was carried out under the supervision of their officer.

Now, the District Health Officer (Dr. Chesfon) says: "DWiifoc-lion once a year would not, however, be a .-.ale measure to trust to, for Hie prevention of various epidemics iu the school.-," and, in his opinion, therefore, the various school cu;nmitieos should Ik instnictsd to have their schools "swing cleaned" once a week, and lip thinks it this matter was conscientiously ami regularly attindcd to. more good would be druip than by an occasional disinfection. New. sii, at present the l-Mueatitni Board dees not supply, school committees with "ufiii-ient money to pay for "spring cleaning" every week, neither docs if supply a sufficient'suii) to warrant a eonimitlrp paying far the post of disinfection, even one;' annually. 17;;' the noint is here—our eumiuilbe is doing its work conscientiously and re«u!arlv, and did not propose to snbslilnte fumigation for scrubbing, but suggested fumigation as a further means of prevonlion. and well worthy a trial in the intere-t cf liublip hpalth. Tlip proof of Ihr pudding is in the opting. AYlien our school opened after the vacation, the morkc.-l iu-crea-e in the pcicentMec «r atiendnurwas remarl-cd U|iOi! by (he ivuniiUv.-. end also Hie fact that several other s-chooN were -li!l tronblpd -vith, the mumps ppidemie after t!:■-=•;- rpopen?(i. Serine this. we.thought it; '.veil In i-p.-c mi a good thing f-v Ihe bpnpfif of fir eo'iimunitv. 1 still think Ihe a practical one. and that it will eventuallv be carried out—l am. etn., i JOHN* C'.\sTT.i;, Chairman Xeivtown School Commiltee.