Memorandum on closure of and exclusion from school.

Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Memorandum on closure of and exclusion from school. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/28 (page 21)
    PI to measles. The schedules for the medical inspection of school children, if kept carefully, will, in course of time, place at the disposal of the Medical Officer of Health and of the School Medical Officer the history of each child as to measles, as well as to other infectious diseases, and they will thus be able to decide, when a case of measles occurs in a particular class, which scholars in that class should, and which should not, be excluded from attendance at school. C. Rules for School Closure. 51. School closure has probably more frequently taken place on account of epidemics of measles than for any other disease, but as the closure has been commonly deferred until a large proportion of the children are already absent, it has proved useless, in populous districts at least, for the purpose of preventing the spread of the disease. If measles is introduced into a school, the first crop of secondary cases will occur about 12 days after the original case, and in 12 days more there will be a second crop comprising the majority of the unprotected children. Thus school closure, as ordinarily practised after the second crop of cases has occurred, fails to prevent an epidemic. In view of this experience a class closure of short duration after the occurrence of the first case of measles ... in the class may be substituted, the class being closed on the ninth day after the sickening of the first child, for a period of five days only. After this period, only those who have sickened need be excluded, along with those in the same households who have not had measles or who attend the infant school. D. Warnings to Parents. 52. Warning notices to parents have been found to be valuable in preventing the spread of measles through the attendance at school of infecting children. These warnings should be sent out as soon as measles, has appeared in a class the parents being warned to watch their children and to keep them from school if the slightest symptoms of a “ cold ” develop during the following three weeks. The warning notice should also suggest that the parent should at once inform the teacher if these symptoms develop. The teacher can then report the case to the Medical Officer of Health and the School Medical Officer. ■Whooping1 Coug-h. 53. The rules as to exclusion from or closure of school for this disease should be similar to those for measles, except that the infection of whooping cough probably lasts six weeks, and the children in the house who attend the infant school should there- fore be excluded from school for this period—or as long as the cough continues. Mumps and Chicken Pox. 54. Three weeks’ isolation should be allowed for cases of mumps and the same period, or until all scabs have disappeared, for cases of chicken pox. Inquiry should be made as to the vaccination of supposed cases of chicken pox.