Infections Diseases.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43216, 17 August 1907, Page 4

Infections Diseases.

Dr Purdy, in his report on the question of schools being affected by epidemics, to the Waihi School Committee last week, said that the main question was whether an outbreak was best combated by closing the school, or by excluding the children from infected households. With regard to the latter measure as far as the propagation of the disease'in the school was concerned, the most important taotics were the completeness and promptness of the information received, as to the occurrence of cases. If the cases were few and their origin known, and | known promptly, probably the exclusion of children from infected households would suffice in checking such diseases as diptheria and scarlet fever. With reference to measles, however, the infective period was greatest during the preemptive stage, which might last for four days before the appearance of the rash. It might seem, therefore, that it would be justifiable in this disease to immediately sanction the closing of the school. Experience, however, has taught us that in dealing with this disease the closure of a school has practically no effect in checking or mitigating an epidemic. The recent experience in* Auckland has shown that to have closed any of the chools in which meases had broken ’out, for a fortnight, as suggested, would have had no effect, as in most cases the epidemic had already secured a firm hold on the ohildren, and the opportunities for the spread of infectien were so many, that unless every sufferer could have been removed to a isolation hospital, the risk of contracting the disease would not have been minimised.

Dr. Purdy then quoted the rules as observed by the London County Council in the matter. Continuing his report, the doctor said that with regard to scarlet fever, a more serious disease than measles, assuming that the latter is not treated as often happens as a trivial complaint, the consensus of medical opinion now is that the infectiousness of such cases before the child vomits or the rash appears, is probably considerably overrated, A child without other symptoms, but with the rash just appearing, is possibly not very ini fectious ; where however, there is any susr picion of scarlet fever, any child who vomits at school, should be sent home at once, the I room should be cleared of children for the 1 day, the ejected matter promptly removed and strong disinfectants used, as it is unsafe to regard this material as other than a source of contagion. “ Peeling ”is not now looked upon as particularly dangerous, the really dangerouscarrier ” cases are convalescents with suppuration, or catarrh of the < ear or nose. It is interesting to know that in this respect the London County Council have instructed teachers that no child who has been in an infectious diseases hospital should return to school for at least a fortnight after discharge. The following rules would be safe to observe in the Auckland province : "’Measles : Children suffering and all others in infected house to be kept from school for three weeks from appearance of the rash ; scarlet fever, six weeks; diptheria, five weeks; mumps, one month; chicken pox, three weeks; whooping cough, five weeks from commencement of whoop. Dr. Purdy concluded by stating that he considered the action of the Board in refusing to sanction the closure of the schools as indisputable correct, and quite in keeping with the latest expert opinion of sanitarians. He could not however, but sympathise with the attitude of many of the head-masters on the subject, in view of the fact that the present staffing of schools was based on the average attendance. The occurrence of epidemic disease was absolutely beyond their control,, and, as District Health Officer, he would willingly certify that the serious falling off in attendance at many of the schooLs has been directly due to the prevalence of infectious epidemic diseases in certain districts. — Waihi Telegraph.