[Report 1932] / School Medical Officer, Somerset County Council.

  • Somerset Council
Date:
1932
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1932] / School Medical Officer, Somerset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/52 (page 40)
    INFECTIOUS AND CONTAGIOUS DISEASES IN SCHOOLS. During the year 83 schools or departnients were closed on account of infectious disease; ‘24 under Article ‘28 {h) of the Code by the School Medical Officer, and 9 under Article 22 of the Sanitary Authority on the advice of their Medical Officer of Health. The Schools were closed for the following diseases:— Diphtheria Measles Whooping Cough • ... Mumps Influenza Chicken pox Enteric fever Illness of Teachers 3 9 1 2 15 1 1 1 33 So far as possible schools are not closed for infectious disease and reliance is placed u2)on the exclusion of cases and sus])ected cases. The present policy of Senior and Junior Schools adds considerable difficulties in the way of the sjn'ead of infectious diseases, owing to the greater mixing of children from different areas. Under the Regulations of the Hoard of Education 133 certificates for weekly attendance below 60 per cent, were issued in resi)ect of 70 schools or separate departments. The cases excluded by the School Medical Officer or his Assistants during tlie year were 342. Of these, 35 were for ringworm, 24 for verminous condition of head or body, 92 for other skin diseases, while the remainder were for a variety of conditions. In addition, 08 cases of actual or suspected ^^hthisis and 37 of other varieties of tuberculosis were excluded by the tJounfy Tuberculosis Officers. LABORATORY, During the year 9,315 samples and specimens were examined in the (’ouuty Laboratory. The greater number were in connection with Tublic Health work. 4,863 suspected diphtheria swabs were examined, the majority being from children of school age; 19{) specimens of hairs and stumjis from suspected ring¬ worm cases were examined; of these, 76 showed the ringworm fungus, while the remaining 123 were negative. Of these 199 specimens, 161 were taken by the School Medical Insjiectors or the llealtli Visitors, and 38 were examined for private practitioners and district nurses.